End of the World
by pineapplegoddess
Summary: Anna Davis is just a school teacher in a small Georgia town outside of Atlanta. When the dead start to rise she goes into survival mode remembering everything her father taught her over the years. When she runs into a rude redneck with a cross bow in the woods she realizes that the end of the world won't have to be so lonely after all. Daryl Dixon / OC
1. The Beginning

**Hello there. Welcome if you are a new reader, welcome back if you are a regular. I know I should be updating my other stories but I wanted to upload a little bit of this story for Thanksgiving. I relate zombies to Thanksgiving… I know its messed up. Anyways I've wanted to upload this for a while and I think today is a great day to do it. So here is the first chapter of my Daryl Dixon fan fic. Please review! The more reviews I get today the more I will upload today as well as this weekend. Thank you all for reading.**

I basked in the sun on my hammock. It was the perfect Georgia day. I sipped my ice tea and closed my eyes enjoying the relaxing moment.

_Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring Ring._

The phone on the table next to me rang interrupting my peace.

"Hello?" I answered.

"_Anna, how are you sweetie?"_ My mother's voice rang through the phone.

"I'm amazing. No school, no kids, no people, this is what a vacation is!" I said with a smile. "Have you guys reached China yet?"

"_No we're almost there. It should be our next stop."_ she said as my father tried to talk to her in the background.

"Well, I hope you and dad are having fun. Thanks for keeping in touch." I said with the same tone they used to give me in high school.

"_I'll call you later sweetie. Have a good time off."_ My mother said in between giggles and my father's sweet nothings could barely be heard.

"Bye mom. Love you." I said before the phone began moaning. I immediately hit the end call button, grossed out at my parents. "My mother's gettin' more loving than me and she broke her hip 4 months ago. Pathetic." I mumbled to myself as I squirmed out of the hammock and walked inside. I turned on the TV and began to make myself some lunch.

"_The flu bug is so much worse this year. Hundreds of people have been coming into the hospital complaining of flu like symptoms. We can no longer hold any more people. If you are sick stay in the comfort of your own home. If you have a fever, take some Advil and a cool shower. That's the only thing we can do as of right now."_ the nurse said on the news. Behind her you could see other nurses and doctors running around franticly helping patients.

"_In other news Officer Rick Grimes is still being hospitalized after an apparent shoot out with criminals that led the highway patrol on a high speed chase. Please keep the Grimes family in your prayers. He still has not regained consciousness." _

"Poor Carl." I muttered as I poured some water in a pot. The news continued on to the weather and other random bits of news they had. I sat down at the table and began to eat my pasta.

As I put the first fork full of the wet spicy pasta in my mouth a crash came from the outside shed.

"Damn possums." I said as I slammed my fork down on the table and got up. I walked over to where my father kept the shotgun or as he called it the 'possum remover'. I walked out to the shed, more cautious than I should have been. This would be my first time to shoot a possum by myself. I heard another crash in the shed.

_Jesus this thing must be huge!_

I cocked the shot gun and removed the safety. I crept up to the shed door and opened it, aiming in the process.

"Oh Mr. Burns. You scared me half to death; I thought you were a possum." I said taking deep breaths in and out. Mr. Burns, my elder neighbor, hadn't even moved or acknowledged my existence. He just stood with his back to me.

"Mr. Burns are you feeling okay? Mrs. Burns told me you went to the hospital and was attacked! Last she told me your fever was getting worse. Mr. Burns?" I asked since he had yet to respond at all to me. I reached out and touched his shoulder. He spun around at the sudden contact, his eyes were a smoky gray, his face had a certain pallor to it, but that's not what my mind was focused on. It was the dead possum in his hands and the blood dripping from Mr. Burns face. I let out a blood curdling scream and ran out of the shed as Mr. Burns grabbed for me. I ran into the house and locked the door. I ran about the house closing blinds and checking locks. I grabbed the phone and the shot gun and ran upstairs to my temporary room. I sat on my bed and called the cops.

_Ring ring ring ring ring ring. _

"_You have reached the Police department. We are unable to take your call at the time. If this is an emergency please... "_

"_Hello?"_ a man out of breath said.

"It's Anna Davis, I think there is something wrong with my neighbor Mr. Burns. He- he tried to bite me." I said in shock.

"_Look lady, I don't know if you've noticed but that's what's going on everywhere."_ the man said.

"What?" I asked quizzically.

"_Look outside your window. AHHHH! No! Get off! No!"_ the man said before gunshots erupted and the line went dead. I dropped the phone in shock and looked out my window.

"Holy shit!" I said as I saw part of the town engulfed in flames. I looked down to the field and my back yard; dozens of people were walking towards my house.

"What the fuck is going on?!" I yelled and ran around the house turning off all the lights. I ran back up the stairs and to the bathroom. I sat in the tub with the shot gun resting beside the toilet. I had locked the door and began to rock back and forth in shock.


	2. Preparation

**I'm so glad that you guys are excited for this story! Thank you all so much for the reviews! I will admit nothing really exciting happens in this chapter so I hope to post another one either today, tonight or tomorrow. Please continue the reviews since you guys are so amazing! Thank you again and here is chapter 2!**

I hadn't slept the entire night. The screams from outside and random things crashing kept me awake.

_What the fuck was going on? Where were the police? Army? Marines? Anything! What happened to these people? Why did Mr. Burns try to bite me?_

All those questions and more echoed through my head.

"You have to stay calm Anna. You can't freak out or you'll kill yourself or someone around you. Just breathe." I said to myself over and over again. The sound of my voice was the only one in the house, the noises outside had died down a bit since the sun came up. I decided it would be a good time to go downstairs to get the portable TV and radio. I didn't want to stay downstairs, just in case those things came back.

I walked downstairs like I was a crazed person, the shotgun ready to go off in my hands and pointing at everything. I walked into the kitchen, my food still sitting there from the day before, but nothing really out of the ordinary. I grabbed a bunch of food and some shotgun shells that my dad had stored by the door. I grabbed the radio and TV and bolted up the stairs like the boogeyman himself was following me.

I sat back in the tub after locking the door and stored the food in the sink. I began to engulf crackers and some peaches. I reluctantly turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until I reached one that was still on air.

"_I repeat, everyone is being evacuated from their homes and have been ordered to go to Atlanta. The CDC is still trying to figure out what is going on and trying to find a cure."_ the news anchor said. The scene changed from her to the Governor of Georgia.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a state of emergency. This is a viral outbreak we don't know much of what it is. We know the symptoms are just like the common cold and the flu, the fever is much higher and we believe that may be what kills the host. What brings them back however we still don't know." _Some scrawny man came onto the stage and said that they would be taking questions now. All of the people in the audience had their hands raised in an instant with people muttering back and forth to each other.

"_Governor, are you saying that we are dealing with zombies?"_ the woman said as the camera went back to the Governor. His face had gone pale from the last time we saw him.

"_I want to refrain from using the word zombies. We don't know what we are dealing with."_ He said. _"That's why we are ordering people to go to Atlanta. The army has set up a base camp and they are working on a solution to the problem."_ The screen went from color to nothing. The signal had been lost.

"Shit." I said.

_Okay, Anna what are you going to do? Atlanta is a handful of miles away, your car is a piece of shit, and you have no idea what you're doing_. I sighed; my mental fight with myself did nothing. I had no way to get to Atlanta, let alone the fire power. _They seemed to be attracted to noise and light._

Something went off in my head. I got out of the tub and walked to my room and in my closet was my bow and about a dozen or so arrows right where I had left them so many years ago.

"I've got the perfect plan." I said to myself. I ran around my room and the house grabbing things I believed I would need to get to Atlanta on foot.

I looked over all of the things I had placed in my room on the floor and bed. In the couple of hours it took me to find everything I hadn't realized how late it had gotten. The sun was beginning to go down so I lit some candles in my room, the bathroom and hallway and turned off the lights. I stood before my bed and looked at all the weapons I had on my bed, I looked like I was about to go to war. I had managed to find four of my father's guns, ammo and I found and old machete in the basement.

I could hear the groans and screams begin to erupt outside. The last two nights it seemed that they were more active at night.

I grabbed an expo marker out of my desk and used my closet mirror to write out what I know.

"They seem more active at night, so I will have to travel during the day." I murmured to myself. "Atlanta is a while away but you've walked that far before. OK, think for a second and use some logic. These things were once people, more people equal more of these things." I fumbled for the map I had found next to me and looked at it with one of the candles I had in my hands.

"There." I said seeing a part of the map that was shaded green about a half a mile from my house. "Go through the woods and you will be outside of Atlanta in no time." I said with a smile. Then with a frown I sat down on the floor staring at the map.

_When should I leave? I'll be by myself. Should I stay here and use some of my resources? Or chance it and go now? Someone should come by right? The government wouldn't just leave us here. _

"OK, I'll stay here for a couple days see if anyone comes by. If no one does then I'll leave." I said aloud. I laid down on the floor next to my bed and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

_What the hell was going to happen? Or the better question what was happening? _

**2 weeks later**

I went about my new daily routine. I climbed onto the roof and sat while looking around the town. Only the dead walked no signs of life, no signs of help. I sipped the bottled water I had and shook my head. I don't know why I stayed here so long. The only productive thing I was doing was working on my tan. There was nothing on the TV, let alone the radio and the power went out over a week ago. I had tried to get a hold of my parents, each time I got the message that the call could not be completed as dialed. The couple days that I tried to get a hold of them were bad. I was worried and concerned about my parents. At the end of those couple of days I accepted the fact my parents were dead and moved on.

"Great." I said as I climbed back into the house. I packed my various items into an old hiking bag; food, bottled water, some first aid supplies including prescription drugs and nonprescription drugs, 2 pairs of clothes, a jacket, and ammo. A couple days ago I had found my father's holsters for the various hand guns he had. I looked outside it was too late to leave today I'd have to wait tomorrow.

"For now-" I said as I walked to the bathroom. I opened the medicine cabinet and took out an orange pill container. Valium. I looked out the bathroom window and thought about the last two weeks. When the power went out there were so many explosions, most of them being blown transformers, but there were a couple louder ones that I couldn't place. Some of the explosions that night shook the ground… I remembered looking out my windows and saw nothing besides the dying fires of the city burning, my city… my town.

"If they come in the middle of the night I won't know. But if I don't sleep they might get me tomorrow." I said to myself as I twirled the pill bottle in my hands. I opened the bottle and ate one pill. I walked around the house and made sure all of the doors were locked and went up to my room. I got an extra blanket out of the closet and fell asleep on my bedroom floor.

…...

When I woke up my room was full of sun yet still somehow dark. I walked to my window, not one of those things could be seen. I strapped my backpack on as well as the various weapons. I held the machete in my hand ready for anything. I looked at myself in the mirror and almost laughed, I looked like a serial killer. I glanced around the room and made sure I had all of my food, weapons, medicine and clothing. Confident I was ready I began my walk down the stairs. I opened the door and held my breath expecting the worse. None of those things were around. I walked out of the house cautiously and then ran towards the trees. I was leaving it all behind, everything I had ever known and I wasn't going to look back.


	3. Daryl Dixon

I reached the woods and the smell of the outdoors greeted me. I smiled at the memories I had with my father playing and hunting in these woods. I slowed my run down to a nice steady walk. Using the sun as my compass I walked in the direction of Atlanta. After a couple hours I almost forgot about the chaos around me. That is until one of those things appeared from behind a tree. The man was in his 30's and had been hunting when he was infected with whatever this is. He ran at me as I lifted my bow with an arrow at the ready. I released the arrow sending it right through the man's throat. He still walked towards me. I looked around knowing I wouldn't be able to reload my bow fast enough I picked up a rock. As the thing came closer I grabbed the arrow sticking out of its throat with my left hand and smashed the things head in with the rock. I was greeted with the sickening sound of his skull caving in under my hand. The blood gushed out of the wound I had created but it was still coming after me. With all of my force I hit it again releasing the anger that I had kept inside about this whole ordeal. I hit it again and again until it stopped moving completely. Its entire head was now caved in completely unrecognizable as a skull. I took a deep breath in trying to calm myself. As I did the rotting smell from this thing made its way to my nose. The bile rose up my throat and I let it spew out. I don't know if it was the smell completely or the fact that I had killed this thing that was once human. The sun began to set by this time. I climbed a tree figuring it would be the safest place to sleep. I made sure I was high enough and rested my head on the branch and slowly drifted off to sleep.

**3 days later. **

I had now killed an unknown number of those things. I was learning more and more about them with the more time I spent around them. I scratched my arm some of the mud I had caked on yesterday was falling off. It made me cooler, stopped the bugs from attacking me and who knows maybe it dampened my scent more so those things wouldn't be as alert. Plus I was less noticeable to them that much I had found out. I drank some water from my bottle and looked up at the hot Georgia sun and cursed it silently. I had to find more mud soon. I walked along, my bow and arrow at the ready for anything, maybe even food. I had now become the hunter my father always trained me to be, using nature to my advantage, being more alert and more stealth. Some people would say I was a primal being. I continued along my path to Atlanta when I thought I heard a footstep. I froze and looked around. I grabbed an arrow setting it up to shoot. I walked closer to where the very faint noise was. A man arose from the bushes with a crossbow pointed at me and my arrow pointed at him. He lowered the crossbow a hair when he saw I wasn't one of those things. I looked behind the man and moved the arrow slightly and let it go. The arrow whizzed past the man and hit one of those things that was about 30 or so feet behind him. He spun around and looked back at me with shock and amusement. The man gave me a ghost of a smirk, within seconds his smirk fell.

"Get out of there!" He yelled. I glanced behind me and there were at least 4 of them walking toward me. The man had already ran off, I ran towards where he was and saw him running in the dense forest, I decided to follow him. We ran further into the woods. He stopped and began climbing a tree confused I looked up to see a small platform, a tree house. I followed closely behind him. When we reached the platform both of us were out of breath. We looked below to see a dozen of those things surrounding the tree. I took my backpack off; it had to be about 5 o clock. The sun would be setting soon, I didn't know about this guy but I wasn't moving from this platform until tomorrow morning. I looked up at the man getting a better look at him. He was still breathing pretty hard. He had on a plaid shirt and what looked like a squirrel sash that crossed his chest. He was a hunter.

"The hell you doin out here in the middle of da woods? Why the hell did you follow me?" he asked.

"It seemed like a good idea. I'm on my way to Atlanta." I said.

"You don wanna go there. Full of walkers. You wouldn' las 5 minutes." He said in a grumpy tone that he now had to share his platform with someone.

"Walkers?" I asked curious.

"Those things down there." He said frustrated. I looked down at the 'walkers' and figured that would be a good thing to call them. I uncapped my bottle and drank some water. I handed it to the man in front of me. He took it roughly.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Daryl." He said throwing the bottle back to me. I nodded my head. "We're goin ta stay here til tomorrow mornin' the walkers are more active at night. Then you're on your own."

"I know." I said, for both of his remarks. He was the first person I had seen in the last couple of weeks that hadn't tried to eat me, and he didn't look to be the sociable type. He gave me a quizzical look. "That's what I've been doing at night. Sleeping in the trees." He looked confused but impressed.

"How long you been on your own?" he asked suddenly after I had comfortably laid down.

"In the woods? 4ish days. Completely? Since this started." I said eating some beef jerky I had packed. "So you hunt?" I said bringing up conversation.

"Doesn't take a brilliant mind to see that." He said as he took off the squirrel sash.

"All of those squirrels for you?" I said, thinking that fresh meat sounded amazing.

"I aint giving you one." He said.

"I wouldn't take one, even if you were offering. They're your kill, your food." I said still dreaming of the meat.

"Ha, I wish. These are for the damn camp that I'm at. Without me they'd damn near starve." he said.

_Others? _

"Camp? There are other people?" I asked suddenly curious.

"You really have been on your own." he said nodding to me. I sighed thinking about that. "What's your name again?"

"Anna Davis." I said as the light had now all but gone. I watched in awe as this man tore apart a squirrel. "How are you going to cook that?" I asked him after a long silence. He stopped what he was doing and looked up at me with an irritated look.

"I'm not, you got a problem with that?" He said. I shook my head and watched him eat the meat parts of the squirrel. I wanted to gag at the sight but you gotta do what you gotta do in order to survive. I looked at my jerky before I took a bit of it feeling the guy's eyes scanning me.

"Why you so dirty?" he asked.

"I covered myself in mud." I said as I chewed the meat.

"Why?" he asked as he chewed on the innards of the squirrel.

"It's cooler and keeps the bugs away. And I'd like to think that it keeps the _walkers_ away." I said emphasizing the word walkers. Again the man looked impressed as I curled up and began to slowly fall asleep. I closed my eyes.

"Thanks for everything today." I said. After a couple minutes I heard him respond.

"No problem." he whispered.


	4. Welcome to Camp

**Here is a big ol chapter for you guys on this Monday morning. Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm so happy this story is becoming so popular (well in my eyes it is). Please continue to review and I will update as much as I can.**

"Wake up. Girl, wake up!" I heard Daryl say as he nudged me with his foot. I sat up in a start not remembering where I was.

"What?" I asked. The sun could be seen slowly rising in the distance but it was still pretty dark.

"There's only one walker left." he said as he took aim and shot it. I collected my things as we both went down the tree. I felt rushed but I had this feeling it was needed. We walked along in silence the majority of the time. Personally I was just enjoying the man's company. I had been alone for so long I had forgotten how to act or be around people.

"Well this is where we part. Thanks for everything." I said awkwardly and headed in the opposing direction.

"Hey girl." He yelled, I turned around in time to catch a flying dead squirrel. I gave the man an awkward smile and trudged on.

I walked for what seemed like hours I had ate the squirrel a while ago hoping not to attract any walkers. Walkers…. That was such an interesting name for them. Considering the news anchors were calling them zombies. It made sense though; all they did was walk… and eat. Then I began to think of Daryl. _It was such an odd encounter, the first encounter in a long time but odd nevertheless. Should I have gone with him? Asked him about this camp? Would they have even accepted me? _

I heard screams. Human screams that interrupted my thoughts.

I ran towards them. A thought fleeting my mind on the fact months ago I would have run from screams not towards them. I slowed down as I approached where I thought the screams were coming from. I had an arrow ready to shoot. As I walked closer to the hillside of what some people would call a mountain I heard arguing. I quietly walked closer and closer.

"Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to 'On Golden Pond'? I've been tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" A familiar voice said. I began to make my way up the hill and came up to the top.

"I would not risk that." Another man said.

"That's a damn shame. I got some squirrel—about a dozen or so. That'll have to do." The familiar voice said, the squirrel comment making me believe it was Daryl. I still had my arrow ready in my hands just in case of anything. _What are you going to do? Stand here all day? Let them know you're here._ I stepped out to say an awkward hello as I saw a decapitated walker.

"Oh god." A woman said as the head began to move.

"Come on people what the hell?" Daryl said as I took this as a moment to make my appearance less awkward and shot the head.

Everyone turned and looked at me suddenly with shock, aiming their various weapons at me.

"I'll be damned." Daryl said with a ghost of a smirk.

"You have to damage the brain." I said with a small smirk. I looked amongst the people that where standing there.

"Anna?" a voice said. I looked over to the voice.

"Rick? Oh my god, is that really you?" I asked as I walked into Ricks arms. I looked up at another man.

"Shane?" I said as Rick released our hug.

"Small world." Shane said with a smile, giving me the look he always gave me. Daryl grunted and pushed his way through the others and walked into what I assumed was the camp.

"Shit." Shane said as he followed Daryl with haste, Rick was not too far behind and the others not too much further behind. I took my arrow out of the skull of the dead walked and followed not really knowing what else to do.

"Merle! Get your ugly ass down here!" Daryl said. I looked around the camp. There were a few people with their belongings. "I got us some squirrel. Let's stew 'em up."

"Daryl, just slow up a bit I need to talk to you." Shane said.

"Bout what?" Daryl asked.

"About Merle." Shane said. I stood on the outskirts of the camp, watching and listening to what was happening. "There was a—there was a problem in Atlanta." I could see Daryl a little skeptical of where this was going. He had set down all of his equipment, but still held his squirrel sash.

"He dead?" he asked.

"We're not sure." Shane said.

"He either is or he aint." Daryl said getting heated and defensive. I placed my bow and arrows on the ground and walked further into the camp, curiosity getting the better of me.

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it." Rick said walked closer to the two.

"Who are you?" Daryl asked.

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes, you got something you want to tell me?" Daryl said obviously upset. I walked next to Shane.

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him to a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there." Rick said.

"Shane." I whispered.

"What?" he said looking down at me.

"Hold on. Let me process this." Daryl said.

"Be prepared to grab one of them." I said.

"You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!" Daryl yelled at Rick.

"Why?" Shane asked.

"Yeah." Rick responded.

"Cause Daryl's about to lose it." I said as Daryl threw the squirrels at Rick and charged him. Shane intervened and knocked Daryl to the ground. Daryl got out his knife as I stood next to Rick.

"Watch the knife." Shane said as Daryl charged at Rick with the knife. Of course Rick grabbed his hand and twisted it out of his hand. Shane intervened again and grabbed Daryl in a choke hold.

"You best let me go!" Daryl yelled.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't." Shane said.

"Hey, hey, hey. Listen here boys. We have all had a hot, tiring, ridiculous not to mention fucked up couple of weeks. Now let's just be civil." I said trying to calm the situation. Daryl glared at me as Rick came over and placed his hand on my shoulder and walked over to Daryl still in the choke hold.

"Choke hold's illegal." Daryl said.

"You can file a complaint." Shane said without a care. Rick sat down and talked to Daryl calmly and explained he wanted to talk to him calmly. Shane finally released him.

"What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work well with others." Rick explained.

"It's not Rick's fault. I had the key. I dropped it." A black man said to the side of me.

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asked.

"Well, I dropped it in the drain." The man said.

"If its suppose to make me feel better it don't." Daryl said as he walked towards the direction of the man.

"Maybe this will. I chained the door to the roof—so the geeks couldn't get at him—with a padlock." The man said.

"That's gotta count for something." Rick said.

"Hell with all ya'll. Just tell me where he is so's I can go get him." Daryl said.

"He'll show you." A woman piped up next to the Winnebago. "Isn't that right?" I recognized her as Lori, Rick's wife, Carl's parents.

"I'm going back." Rick said and walked off. Daryl walked off to what I assumed would be his area of the camp. Everyone stood and slowly dispersed.

Shane walked up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Welcome to camp." He said and walked off.


	5. Reunions

**Hello, hello! Here is another long chapter! Is anyone else not ready for tonight's mid-season finale episode? I'm defiantly not! Anyway thank you so much for reviewing and of course reading! Please continue to do so!**

I stood there as everyone walked around me like I wasn't even there. Lori walked back out of the Winnebago; she spotted me and ran towards me, pulling me into a hug. Lori and I had seen each other a handful or so times outside of a school setting. A couple times at the store, a couple cop related events, and that one other time when she set me up on a date.

"Wow. It's good to see a familiar face." Lori said smiling and pulling me out of the hug.

"Yeah, tell me about it." I said with a small snicker. "How is everything?" She let out a sarcastic laugh.

"It's going. How about you?" she said still laughing sarcastically.

"It's going." I said with a matching laugh. "Where is Carl?"

"Carl." She said smiling and looking back in the Winnebago. The little boy walked out of the van and his eyes lit up as he saw me.

"Ms. Davis?" he asked surprised as he ran to me. I dropped to my knees and hugged the boy as tears of happiness poured down my face.

"Carl, I'm so happy to see you!" I said as I looked at him. Lori smiled as she shed a few tears at the scene.

He smiled up at me and then it faded away.

"Does this mean I have homework due?" he asked as I stood up. Lori and I wiped away the tears and laughed.

"No we will talk about what we are going to do with your education a little later." I said as I placed my hand on his head.

"Anna needs to settle into the camp, and then we'll see." Lori said smiling at her boy. We turned around at the sound of screaming, it was Daryl at the other corner of the camp.

"I'm going to go talk to him." I said, smiling at Carl then to Lori.

"What makes you think he'll listen to you?" Lori asked as Carl walked over to her and I got ready to turn.

"I don't." I said and walked off to where I heard his angry yelling.

"Hey." I said as he walked back and forth from a tent to a pile of stuff on the ground.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I just wanted to come talk to you." I said sitting down on a log as he continued doing whatever he was doing.

"About what?" he said.

"About what all just happened."

"Why do you care?" He said stopping what he was doing to glare at me.

"Because it was wrong what they did. I'm on your side in this whole ordeal." I said. He stood there in silence for about thirty seconds before saying anything.

"You know the officer?" he asked with distaste.

"And the Grimes family, I taught Carl. We all lived in the same town." I explained. He gave a slight nod then continued.

"Taught?" he asked.

"I am- was a teacher." I said.

"Would've pegged you as a hunter." He said.

"Why?"

"All those weapons you carry, and you know how to use them."

"What makes you think I not?" I said as he stopped again to look at me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, ignoring my question.

"To talk to you." I stated.

"No, here at the camp."

"I heard screams. I came and checked it out."

"Are you staying?" he asked.

"I don't know yet. Why?" I asked.

"I'm going to go find my brother-"he began.

"And you want me to go with you?" I asked.

"Hell no. Stay here and watch my brothers and my stuff. Hell even hunt, these idiots don't know shit about anything."

"You'd be surprised."

"About?"

"People."

"Whatever." He said and walked off to a truck. I walked over to where I had placed my stuff before this all went down and took it over to where Daryl's and his brother's stuff was. I walked back into camp, next to where we had been before. I suddenly felt very out of place. Everyone had begun talking again, less tense but there was still tension.

"So you and Daryl that's your big plan?" Lori asked Rick. Rick looked over at an Asian kid; he looked like he was in his college years.

"Oh come on man." He said with an upset look.

"You know the way. You've been there before— in and out, no problem. You said so yourself. It's not fair of me to ask—I know that—but I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know she would too." Rick said pointing to Lori.

"That's just great. Now you're going to risk three men, huh?" Shane said.

"Four." The black man said. Daryl scoffed.

"My day just gets better and better, don't it?" he said.

"You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brothers cracker ass?" the black man said.

"Why you?" Daryl said as he cleaned off his arrows. Shane looked at Rick frustrated.

"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language." The black man said.

"Hey, I said I'd go with you." I said to Daryl.

"No." Shane, Rick, Lori and Daryl said at the same time.

"Wow, really?" I said in shock at everyone.

"That's four." An old man with a hat said.

"It's not just four. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that Rick. Come on, you saw that walker. It was here. It was at the camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back; we need every able body we've got. We need them here. We need them to protect the camp." Shane said.

"It seems to me what you really need most here are more guns." Rick said.

"Right, the guns." The Asian kid said.

"Wait. What guns?" Shane said confused.

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street waiting to be picked up." Rick said.

"Ammo?" Shane said looking like he was now considering the idea.

"700 rounds, assorted." Rick said.

"You went through hell to find us. You just got here ad you're gonna turn around and leave?" Lori piped in.

"Dad, I don't want you to go." Carl said. My heart broke at the kids face. He was too young to have that pleading look. I looked away and noticed Shane staring at Lori.

"To hell with the guns. Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, even with the guns thrown in. Make me understand. " Lori said as she stood up. Rick walked over to his wife. Rick explained to Lori that there was a man and his boy that had saved his life back home. Without them he would have died. They were supposed to meet up in Atlanta, using an old walkie talkie that according to Shane was close to worthless. The entire time they talked I looked at all of them. Carl didn't want his dad to leave him again. Rick wanted to get more guns to protect the camp. Shane didn't want to be left here alone anymore, which was understandable. The black guy wanted to make amends with what he had done to Merle. Lori didn't want her husband to leave, from what they were saying it sounded like he just got to came yesterday. Daryl just wanted to go and get his brother; he was becoming more pissed as the light was wasting and them talking foul about his brother. Daryl got up and walked off and once again everyone went about either doing their own business or getting ready to go into Atlanta.

I stood there awkwardly when the older man walked over to me.

"What's your name miss?" he asked. I looked over and held out my hand.

"Anna." I said with a smile. The old man smiled back.

"Dale. If you don't mind me asking why do you want to go with Daryl?" he asked with a confused expression on his face.

"I don't think it's right to leave a man on the roof of a building with the dead walking around. Not even the worst of men deserve that type of fate." I explained.

"I guess you do have a point. It's pretty honorable for you to go out and save someone from a group that you don't even know." Dale said.

"I technically know 5 people in this camp." I began before being interrupted by Lori.

"She can also teach the young ones." She said as she walked over to the two of us. "She was Carl's teacher back home."

"I guess this means you're here for a while." He said his smile reaching his eyes.

"I guess so." I said smiling.


	6. Meet and Greet

**Hey everyone! I hope you have had a fantastic holiday! I'm going to try to write as much as I can with my mini vacation but I can't promise much. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed, favored, followed and alerted this story! I really appreciate my followers and it makes me really happy that you all enjoy it! I can also appreciate those of you who appreciate the fact that it is going a little slow to bring more character development into it. It will be picking up quite a bit in the next couple chapters but thank you for knowing what is what. Without further ado here is an extremely long chapter! Please review and enjoy!**

Lori volunteered to show me around the camp, while the people who were going back to the city got ready. We were next to a quarry which was nice for water as well as baths, all in all it seemed like a good place to me.

"So where are you going to sleep?" Lori asked as the tour came to a close.

"Daryl asked me to watch his stuff. So I'll probably stay in that general area." I said as we walked back to where the guys were getting ready for the trip.

"I would keep my distance from those Dixon boys." Lori said. Despite myself I stopped walking forward and looked at her quizzically. "Merle isn't the best person in the world and Daryl follows close behind his brother."

"Lori, thank you for looking out for me, but Daryl helped me out in the woods. I've always been a trust worthy person, and this is a time in the world where you choose who you're going to trust wisely." I explained and walked away from her as Daryl stood on the horn of the truck they were taking.

"Come on! Let's go!" he yelled. Lori and Carl sat on the hood of a truck and waited for Rick to say good bye to them, I walked over to the back of the truck.

"Hey Daryl." I said as he impatiently walked over.

"What?" he said with anger and impatience.

"Be careful alright?"

"Ya." He said as he stopped pacing for a moment then continued. Shane came over to me as we both walked away from the truck. Daryl pulled down the door but not before one last look exchange between the two of us. The truck started and they drove away. Shane put his arm around me as we watched them drive off. I looked up at him quizzically.

"So you're going to resume being a teacher?" he asked as he looked down at me.

"Most likely. Mind as well do my part around here. I want to do other things though, helping out things." I said as I walked forward causing his arm to be removed from my shoulders.

"I'd ask Carol." He said his attitude changing, probably because of the loss of contact between us. "She does a lot around here." He walked off into the distance.

"OK." I said looking around trying to remember which one was Carol. I walked over to the blonde woman.

"Hi." She said as I approached.

"Hi." I responded and held out my hand. "Anna." I said.

"Andrea. So what brings you around here?" she asked as she walked to her sister, rather that's the relationship I assumed.

"Surviving mostly. I was wondering if you could point out which one is Carol." I said. Andrea laughed as she pointed to the woman with short pepper colored hair, playing with a little girl.

"That's her right there." She said with a smile.

"Great. Thanks." I said as I walked over to the older woman.

"Carol?" I asked her.

"Yes?" She said as she smiled at me, her smile was so sad though.

"Hi, Anna Davis. Shane told me you're the one I can come to if I want to help out." I said.

"Of course he did." She said with a small eye roll. "The ladies and I are on our way down to the quarry to do some laundry if you want to join us."

"That would be fantastic." I said. "I'll go grab some clothes and meet you down there." I walked back to where my stuff was in the Dixon area. I grabbed all of my clothes that needed to be washed which was basically all of them. I began to walk off to the quarry but as I did I looked back at the Dixon tent. I let out a frustrated grunt and walked back over opening the tent. It smelled like a man cave and it looked like one too. Not the nice looking man caves with the pool table and the big flat screen but an honest to god man cave. I began grabbing clothes in the random piles around where they slept_. How did people do this? I know it's the end of the world and all but Jesus. _After I had grabbed everything that needed to be washed I made my way down to the quarry.

_So much laundry. _

"Whooo who who." Andrea said as I walked over to them. "That's a whole lot of laundry." I dropped all the clothes. They all looked up at me confused.

"I figured I'd wash their clothes too." I said as I grabbed a bucket and began to scrub fabric together. Across the quarry I could see Shane and Carl playing in the water; it brought a small smile to my face.

"Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" a black woman said.

"The world ended. Didn't you get the memo?" the blonde girl who I assumed was Andreas sister said.

"It's just the way it is." Carol said as she looked over at a man leaning against a car full of laundry. I notice the way she looked at the man and I felt instantly nauseous. I shook my head and smiled.

"Hell, I'm just doing this to give me something to do. I'm Anna by the way." I said introducing myself to everyone who I hadn't already.

"I'm Amy." The blonde girl next to Andrea said.

"Sisters?" I asked. They both laughed and nodded.

"I'm Jacqui." The black woman said with a smile. "That's Carol's husband over there, Ed." Her smile faded as we continued doing laundry. After ten or so minutes in silence Carol spoke up.

"I do miss my Maytag." Carol said.

"I miss my Benz, my sat nav." Andrea said.

"I miss my coffee maker with that dual-drip filter and built-in grinder, honey." Jacqui said.

"My computer and texting." Amy said.

"I miss steamy hot baths, with bubbles and music after a long day." I piped up. All the women in the vicinity gave a small groan at the relaxing thought.

"I miss my vibrator." Andrea said bringing all of us out of our bath fantasies.

"Oh! That's a good one." I said.

"Oh!" Jacqui said as we all began to giggle. Carol looked over at her husband then back at us.

"Me too." Carol said as we all laughed louder.

"What's so funny?" Ed said as he walked over to us.

"Just swapping war stories, Ed." Andrea said. Carol looked at him then looked away with the same look in her eyes as before and again I got a sick feeling. That look was all too familiar to me. Ed kept walking closer to us.

"Problem, Ed?" Andrea asked.

"Nothin' that concerns you." He said with an asshole like charm. Andrea gave me a look and continued scrubbing the cloths. "And you ought to focus on your work. This aint no comedy club."

Andrea and I looked at each other and scoffed. I looked up at the man and actually looked at him. He was chunky, not fat mind you but actually chunky, he was smoking what appeared to be a cigarette. An asshole aura just radiated off the man. Andrea and I exchanged yet another look before continuing the laundry.

"So, Anna, I hear you're going to be teaching the kids." Jacqui said.

"I believe so." I said smiling over at her.

"That's awful sweet." She said.

"I want to contribute to the camp as much as I can. Teaching was my job, mind as well continue it." I said with a smile. Andrea gave me a smile of hope. Not the usual one you see on movies, but the one that something is going back to normal. She looked over my shoulder and rolled her eyes. She stood up and walked over to Ed who was still standing there lighting up another smoke.

"Ed, tell you what, you don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself." Andrea said. Something in my gut, my instincts told me to be alert. I casually stood up as if I was done with the batch of clothes I was working on and rung them out. "Here" She said as she tossed a shirt to him. He threw it back with force. I dropped the shirt I had and stood facing the two.

"Oh!" Andrea said surprised.

"Aint my job missy." Ed said.

"What is your job, Ed?" I asked walking over to the two.

"Yeah? Sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?" Andrea asked as well.

"Well it sure as hell aint listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitches. Tell you what—come on. Let's go." He said to Andrea then beckoned to Carol.

"Whoa." I said.

"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed." Andrea said standing up.

"And I say it's none of your business. Come on now. You heard me." Ed said.

"Carol." Andrea said.

"Andrea, please it doesn't matter." Carol said.

"No, Carol it does." I said piping up.

"Hey don't think I won't knock you on your ass just cause you're some college-educated cooze, all right? And you, you might be new and sleepin' with them Dixons but they aint here and I will knock you on your ass as well." Ed said.

"Excuse me?" I said

"Now you come on now or you gonna regret it later." Ed said to Carol.

"So, she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed?" Jacqui said confirming the look in Carol's eyes from before. "Yeah, we've seen them."

"Stay out of this. Come on!" Ed said again.

"No, how long has this been going on?" I looked to Andrea.

"A while." Andrea said with determination to stand her ground in her eyes.

"Stay out of this, all of you. Now come on! You know what? This aint none of ya'll's business. You don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay? Now I am done talking okay." Ed said as he reached for Carols arm.

"No, no, no, no, no. Hold on a minute." I said shoving his arm away from Carol.

"Anna." Carol warned as he grabbed for her again.

"Carol you don't have to go." Andrea said. Before I knew what happened Carol became a rope in a yelling tug of war. I slammed my elbow into Ed's gut as he punched Carol and stumbled away from the crowd of women.

"I saw plenty of your kind of man when I taught. This is the now. Get the hell away from her she is not your property. You are no bull and I am no whore!" I yelled at the man. He was only a few feet away as he stood up straight he began to laugh then went in for Carol again.

"Get away." I yelled as he grabbed her arm again.

"You think you can-"he began as he collided his fist into my face. Before I knew it Shane was behind him dragging him away from us. My face stung as I looked around, it was swelling up already. Amy, Andrea and Jacqui were holding Carol and protecting her as I stood there breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" I asked Carol as she held her face.

"Yes." She squeaked still staring at the man she called a husband as he was being beaten senseless by Shane.

"Shane." I said he didn't respond. I walked closer to him.

"Anna." Andrea warned. I looked back and gave a small smile and walked back to Shane.

"Shane." I said louder this time, still no response. I walked in front of him.

"Shane!" I screamed, as the women behind me began to yell too. I placed my hand on his head.

"Shane, stop." I said in a soft voice. "His death will not be on your hands. Not today."

"You put your hand on your wife or your little girl or Anna or anyone else in this camp one more time; I will not stop next time. Do you understand me?" Shane said pointing his finger at the swelling face of Ed.

"Yes." Ed slurred out.

"I'll beat you to death Ed." Shane said.

"Ed." Carol said coming closer sobbing.

"Yeah, but not today." I repeated still standing in front of Shane. He punched Ed again and stood up.

"Alright, alright. You're done." I said as I put my hand on his shoulder, he kicked his body one more time.

"Shane." I said in a threatening tone as Carol dove to her husband saying she was sorry.

"Shane, are you with me?" I asked as he looked at me slowly. He gave a small nod and looked to the other women behind me. He gave a nod to them. "Let's go get you cleaned up." I said as we walked past them Andrea and I exchanging a glance as we walked up the quarry.

…

"Shane, you need to have more self-control." I said as we sat on a log away from camp as I sterilized his wounds.

"Me? What about you? What would you have done if I wasn't there and he attacked you?" he said as he took his hand away from mine. He touched my face, his fingers touching and slowly trailing the bruised flesh. He slowly began to lean in while he stared into my eyes. I placed my hand on his chest to stop him.

"Anna—I-" he began as I held my hand up to stop him.

"Shane, things may be different now, but I sure as hell still have the feelings about you that I did before the world ended. We can be friends and be tolerable to one another. Let the past be past." I said staring at him. "Plus the way you eye-fuck Lori leads me to believe that you have moved on as well." I closed up the bottle of rubbing alcohol and walked off to the tent to put my things away and clean myself up.


	7. Shivers

**This one is a little short compared to the last one but you guys deserve another chapter. Thank you for all of the reviews! Please continue them. Daryl will be back in the next chapter!**

"Alright guys, I know you don't want to do this but your parents want it and think of it this way if there is ever any order again you'll all be ahead of your class." I said as the 2 girls and boy sat in front of me. Carl rolled his eyes and they all had the same look on their faces. "Let's start with history shall we? What was everyone learning before all of this?" Carl raised his hand.

"Carl."

"You were teaching us about the medieval times." he said. _Collapse of civilizations, depopulation, deurbanization, barbarian invasions, the Black Death, famine, plagues, war._ The words echoed through my mind. I looked to the two girls.

"What were you guys learning about?" I asked the two girls. _Please be anything but the medieval times. _

"The same thing." Sophia said shyly. Eliza nodded. _Fuck…. Ok think Anna think… something light and easy…. _

"Excellent. So let's see…. King Arthur fact or fiction?" I asked. Eliza raised her hand. "Eliza."

"Myth." She said quietly.

"Correct. Although his existence has been debated by some scholars, he was made up. We learn about him however because these were dark times and it's always nice to have a hero." I felt awkward teaching the kids about the medieval times. _Collapse of civilizations, depopulation, deurbanization, barbarian invasions, the Black Death, famine, plagues, war._ It was hard to remember everything I was about to teach or had taught. I smiled to the young children and continued. "King Arthur was a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defense of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century." I looked around at the other people from the camp and thankfully saw an opportunity for a distraction, I couldn't teach the kids this now not with our collapse of civilization and plague. Andrea and Amy were walking back from the quarry with a dozen or more fish.

"Well look at that." I said pointing over to them. Andrea handed them over to Morales as he took them laughing.

"Ladies because of you my children will eat tonight. Thank you." Morales said as he put them down for the preparing process.

"Thank Dale. It's his canoe and gear." Andrea said.

"Mom, look at all the fish!" Carl said to his mother a ways away.

"Hey kids, how about you ask Morales to show you how to clean and skin the fish." I said. Carl nodded eagerly as the two girls looked a little disgusted but walked after Carl anyway. Shane walked up next to me.

"Have trouble teaching?" he asked.

"It's difficult to teach kids about mayhem, disease, chaos, and the past, with everything that's going on. I need to think of things to teach them about that they can use for the rest of their lives." I said as I rubbed my face with my hands.

"And what if things go back the way they were?" He said as I looked up to him. I shook my head.

"I don't know if that has any hidden meaning behind it but do you honestly think we will end up back in suburbia? You and Rick back being cops? Me, a school teacher?" I walked away from him. "Nothing is going to be the way it was before. In my life or yours."

"I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem." Dale said.

"I'm going to the quarry and take a bath." I said to Lori as I walked away from the impending situation. She grasped my arm and muttered a "what's wrong" under her breath.

"I need to clear my head. Now that I have time to think and I'm not running for my life." I said as I walked to the Dixon area and grabbed some clothes and headed to the quarry. I took off my clothes and left them on the bank. I slowly walked into the cool water, when I was waist deep I dove in the rest of the way. It felt amazing to say the least. I floated on my back and stared at the sky.

_What are you going to teach these kids? Hunting and survival skills? Good luck getting that one through to their parents. You're supposed to teach them about school studies. Get their minds off of what's going on. But what are you going to do when you get to the plagues of history? The reality of science and math? Do you honestly remember everything you need to teach them? And can you do it with a straight face? _

I stood up and looked around. I could hear some yelling. I kind of felt bad for leaving the group up there to deal with whatever Dale had told them. But at the same time they probably wouldn't have accepted my presence more than they already had. I let my presence be known before with the Atlanta situation and Daryl.

_What am I going to do when Daryl comes back? Oh God what am I going to do with Shane? He left me. He stood me up. Now he has the nerve to try and kiss me? Ugh the nerve! Wait, hold on Anna…. You thought of Daryl, why? Do we have a little crush? _

I involuntarily growled at the situation with Shane and my antagonizing self. I began to scrub off all the dirt and sweat from the last couple of weeks and got out of the quarry. I put my clean clothes on not even bothering to dry off, it would evaporate in a couple of minutes anyway.

By the time I walked into camp I watched Shane walk off with the bucket of fish with Carl and Sophia and a guy that I think his name was Jim was tied to a tree. Lori was walking over to him.

"You keep your boy close. You don't ever let him out of your sight." Jim said to Lori as she knelt down to his level. Lori looked up to me. I shrugged and muttered 'I don't even want to know' and walked off to the tent. What Jim said replayed in my mind again and again and each time it did it sent a wave of shivers up my spine.


	8. Invasion

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. School and work happened. I'm going to try at least a chapter a week but I can't promise anything. With that being said ONLY ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL THE WALKING DEAD COMES BACK! Anyway please review and enjoy! Thank you everyone who had reviewed, favored and alerted.**

I sat in the Dixon's tent, all the contents outside of the tent. I know Daryl said to keep an eye out for their stuff but I needed to do something so I could keep my mind off of what Jim had said to Lori.

"_You keep your boy close. You don't ever let him out of your sight."_

The sleeping bags were hanging from a tree drying from being washed in the quarry. I was debating taking down the tent and washing it as well. This is what I did when I got overly anxious or upset, I cleaned. The only thing I had to clean wasn't even mine, with a small sigh I began to take the tent apart.

"They're gonna flip when they see what you've done." Shane said as he approached me.

"Yeah, well I needed something to do." I said as I took the rods out of the frame part of the tent.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I looked over at him quizzically. "I know you Anna; you clean when something is wrong."

"Just the whole Jim thing." I said as I placed all the rods in a pile.

"We got him under control." Shane said.

"I know. It's just what he was saying." I said as I grabbed the actual tent.

"What was he saying?" Shane asked suddenly on alert.

"He told Lori, 'You keep your boy close. You don't ever let him out of your sight.' It sent chills up my spine. I just have a bad feeling in my gut Shane." I said as I walked in his general direction.

"We'll all keep an eye on him. It'll all be fine." He said as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Shane, please." I said as I walked down a now somewhat familiar trail to the quarry.

"How's teaching the kids?" he asked following me.

"Not good." I said trying to avoid him.

"Anna, please." He said. "I know I messed up before all this happened I just want to be civil, start over." I stopped walking and looked at him.

"And what do you exactly mean by start over, Shane? Because your actions have proven to me that you want more than friendship and that is something I just can't have right now." I said. _Unless a certain Redneck came into play._ I thought to myself, I shook my head.

"No, I just- Anna you understand what I'm saying I know you do." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"If you want to be friends, start over, whatever, you can help me by convincing the parents of those kids that knowing American history, math, and science isn't going to help much right now. Knowing survival skills is what they need. They can be taught the other stuff too but it's going to mean shit unless the world comes around." I said as I continued walking down to the quarry to wash the tent.

I scrubbed the tent, the amount of dirt and unknown particles that came off of it would've made anyone cringe. At least it would have made anyone cringe before the end, now I just shrugged my shoulders and hauled the now sopping wet tent to the top of the quarry. Hauling the blankets was a lot heavier but it was surprisingly easier, because they were smaller. I hung the tent with rope on a branch next to the blankets and checked to see how they were drying. I could smell the fire burning with a faint smell of fish. I couldn't wait to eat fresh fish, it had been so long since I had fresh food, let alone fish.

"Hey Anna! The fish are cooking!" Carl yelled a couple feet away. I nodded and walked over.

"I'll take the first one then go move the tent. I want it to be dry by the end of the night." I said as I sat on a tree trunk next to Dale's chair. "This smells amazing by the way."

"Thanks." Andrea said as she handed me a plate. Everyone in the camp began to slowly congregate to the fire and the fish. Everyone kept quite as they ate enjoying the fish. _It was nice to sit down to a decent meal, but I guess it depends on what you opinion of a decent meal is. To some people it's a steak, others raw squirrel. There you go again. Really?_

"Pass the fish, please." Sophia asked.

"Here you go." Carol said as she passed the fish.

"Man o man, that's good." Shane said as he took another bite of the fish. "I miss this."

"I've got to ask you, man. It's been driving me crazy." Morales said to Dale.

"What?" Dale said.

"That watch." Morales said.

"What's wrong with my watch?"

"I see you every day, the same time, winding that thing like a village priest saying mass."

"I've wondered that myself." Jacqui said. Everyone nodded or smiled.

"I'm missing the point." Dale said innocently, I looked over and smiled at the older man.

"Unless I've miss read the signs, the world seems to have come to an end. At least hit a speed bump for a good long while." Jacqui said.

"But there's you every day winding that stupid watch." Morales said.

"Time—it's important to keep track isn't it? The days at least. Don't you think, Andrea? Back me up here." Dale said. She just smiled and drank her beer. "I like—I like what, um, a father said to son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations. He said, 'I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me; I give it to you, not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it." I smiled at the man, dwelling in his wisdom.

"You're so weird." Amy said lightening the mood as everyone laughed.

"I'll be right back. Gotta go move the tent." I said to Dale as I got up. The sun was completely down a small orange line could be seen through the trees. It was almost completely night, and they still weren't back yet. The feeling in my gut was still there, something was wrong. I took the tent down; slightly surprised it was completely dry. I smiled to myself and began to stick the rods in the proper areas.

I heard someone scream back at the fire. I dropped the tent and grabbed my bow.

"Aaaaargh!" a walker came to my side. Gun shots rained through the camp.

"Holy shit." I said as I tried to get away and string a bow at the same time. The moment I had it set up it was too late the walker was to close. "Fuck." I said as I dropped the bow and grabbed for my knife in my boot, I tripped over a log.

"Shit, shit, shit." I said as the walker came closer and closer to me. I grabbed the knife and felt a small burning in my leg as I brought it to my chest. I got to my feet and lunged towards the walker digging the knife into its head. Landing next to my bow I grabbed it, put my knife back in my boot, and limped into the camp with an arrow ready. I stood on the sideline of the chaos. I pulled back and released an arrow watching it impale a walker in the head. Shane looked over at me with Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophia behind him. To my right I heard screams and released another two arrows into two walkers attacking a camp member. I continued to shoot arrows into walkers and before I knew it I was out. It was just my knife and I against a hoard of hungry walkers.

"Anna, work your way up here." Shane yelled at me.

"Aaaaargh." Another walker was at my side. I slammed my knife in his head. Another one was behind me. I tried to pull my knife out but it was stuck.

"Shit, please no." I don't know why I said please no, it's not like I was pleading to a serial killer. I was about to let out a scream as a bunch of shots rang out through the camp. I would've looked around to see what was going on but I couldn't let my guard down. The walker made another groan and began to stagger closer to me. I bolted and ran back through the camp.

"Anna!" Shane yelled out as I was going in the opposing direction he wanted me to. I needed to get to my other weapons back at the Dixon part of camp.

"Aaargh." I dodged walkers left and right until I came to my bag lying on the ground. I rustled around in my bag as another walker made itself known behind me.

"Gun, gun, gun. Ah." I said as I turned around gun pointed and cocked at the walker. Before I could pull the trigger, the walker fell forward into my body making the walker fell on top of me still moving and chomping at me. I pointed my gun to its temple and fired the body went completely limp. I could feel the blood pooling around my torso and my shoulder from the two gunshot wounds. Other than the footsteps I heard coming closer to me the camp was completely silent.

"Anna." A voice said.

"Daryl?" I said under the body. Suddenly the body was being lifted off of me as the air hit the blood on my shirt I felt an instant chill. Daryl held his hand out for me and helped me up. I couldn't help myself as I wrapped my arms around him for a brief moment of comfort and relief.

"Thank you." I said in a muffled whisper. I felt his arm slowly snake around my waist. Within seconds the moment was broken and we were walking into the heart of the camp. Andrea was on the ground sobbing over Amy's body, Carl was crying in his dads arms, Lori knelt down trying to take everything in, and everyone else was standing in disbelief of what had happened.

"I remember my dream now." Jim said as we all looked over at him. "Why I dug the holes."

Everyone looked around the camp, bodies littered the ground everywhere.


	9. Realization

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. School and work happened and I also went to Portland… and may have met Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker….. But when all is said and done I know I haven't updated and should have. I am sorry…. But anyway please review and enjoy! Thank you everyone who had reviewed, favored and alerted. I love you all!**

At first everyone just stood in shock, no one said anything; no one made a move to do anything. What could we even do? It was the middle of the night, completely pitch black and there were bodies everywhere.

"Lori, why don't you take Carl and the kids into the RV with Dale and Carol." Rick suggested. Lori stood up nodding and wiping away her tears. She gathered the few people up and went to the RV. Jacqui and some of the other women went in as well to try to get some resemblance of sleep. I looked around to Andrea who was still crying over her sister's body.

"I know it's difficult but we should do this in shifts. Some people should go and continue digging graves and some people should try to rest. In a couple hours we'll switch then visa versa until we get this all cleaned up." Rick said with sorrow. Everyone seemed to nod and started walking around deciding on what to do. I noticed the fire was starting to die, I walked over and began to poke it with a stick and became transfixed by the flame. My hair had covered my face so all I saw was the fire, no side vision, just the fire. So much had happened in the last couple days; scratch that the last couple months. _So much death, destruction, chaos. _

"Anna. Jesus woman! You deaf?" Daryl said as he stood on the opposite side of the fire.

"Huh? What?" I responded looking up, my hair moving to its proper place at the side of my face.

"What the hell?" Daryl said as he flew next to me looking at my face. "Who the hell did this to ya?" His calloused hands moved around my bruised face which up until that moment I had completely forgotten about. Now that the adrenaline of almost being eaten alive was starting to wear off as well as the pain meds, I was beginning to feel it again as well as the burning in my leg.

"It doesn't matter now." I said.

"Like hell it don't." Daryl said raising his voice.

"It was Ed. But Shane-"Before I could finish my sentence Daryl was off to Ed's and Carols tent. I walked after him following his silhouette; suddenly his silhouette froze in the night.

"Daryl, please there has been enough today." I said but he didn't respond. I walked closer and tried not to throw up. Walkers had got to Ed; they were still eating him within the tent. Daryl moved his crossbow around his shoulder and shot the walkers that were still there.

"Oh god." I said, as Daryl looked over at me.

"He deserved it." He said with a disgusted look. "Now what were you saying about Shane?" there was a look in Daryl's eyes, a certain fire almost.

"He beat the shit out of Ed; he already took care of it." I said. After I finished my sentence he was off towards Shane.

"Daryl!" I cried out worried about more violence. Daryl reached Shane within seconds and decked him in the face sending him to the ground.

"Where were you? This wouldntve happened if you were there!" Daryl screamed at Shane. Rick managed to pull Daryl off of Shane. Daryl shook himself out of Ricks and Shane's reach and stood next to me.

"What the hell is going on?" Rick said forcing himself to keep calm. Daryl grunted and walked off toward the tent. Rick looked at me and squinted.

"Jesus Anna, what the hell happened?" Rick said.

"Ed." I said and walked away towards Daryl sure that Shane would elaborate on Ed.

Daryl stood on the edge of where his and his brother's tent used to be. It was now in a small pile on the ground.

"I washed the tent and everything in it that could be. I wanted it to be nice for when you and your brother made it back." I said in a hushed tone suddenly realizing they didn't come back with someone I didn't know. "Is he dead?"

"I don't know." He said still staring at the tent on the ground, his voice much more raw and quite. There was a cricket chirping in the distance, the silence other than that was almost deafening. After what seemed like an hour I moved forward.

"I'll clean up." I said as I bent down to grab various items that were mine around the tent. Daryl just stood there staring out into the night.

I stopped and looked up at Daryl, suddenly feeling awkward and out of place. Everything was slowly coming to me_. Daryl came back without his brother, Daryl was back, Rick was back, Shane wanted to be with me, although Shane beat Ed, Daryl wanted revenge because of me, he wanted someone to hurt, since Ed was dead he went after Shane. Why was I caring so much?_

My head started to throb either from the information or my injuries or both.

"Daryl." I whispered to see if he would hear me.

"Ya." He said with no emotion.

"Why- Why did you go after Shane?" I asked. He looked down at me.

"He didn't protect you." He said bluntly.

"I know, but why did you go after him?" I asked. All I got was a grumbled response as he walked away from the area leaving me completely and utterly confused.

I sat on a log and looked at all of the Dixons and my stuff piled together on this part of the camp. The sun was beginning to rise and exhaustion was beginning to make itself known to me. I started to nod off but the throbbing, shooting pain coming from my leg and my face shook me out of my trance.

"Anna." Lori said standing behind me.

"Mmm?" I responded.

"We should probably get that bandaged up." She said looking at my leg.

"It's not too deep. I'll be fine." I said.

"Let's at least go clean it. Come on." She said as I reluctantly stood up and turned to see the camp in the light. There were bodies lying everywhere, people we knew and walkers. Bullet casings and arrows were strewn about. Random blood pools of where people used to be before they were moved. Carol, Dale ad Shane were sitting around the remaining fire from the night before. Everyone was walking around picking up bodies and burning them or putting them in piles. I noticed Andrea hadn't moved since the night before. Daryl was putting a pick ax to the heads of the fallen. I limped behind Lori until we reached to her tent. She pointed to one of the chairs and went into her tent and brought out some first aid supplies. She poured some water on the cut.

"We should probably wrap it so it doesn't get infected." She said. I just nodded. She cleaned the cut and bandaged it up. She looked up at me expecting me to talk, but I just didn't have anything to say.

"I'm going to go help." I said as I stood up and limped back into the main part of camp. Everything was still going through my mind, mostly Daryl and his actions from the previous night. I walked past Andrea pointing a gun to Rick.

"Just leave her be." I muttered as I limped past.

"You can't be serious?" Daryl said as he appeared to my side with the pick ax resting on his shoulder. I gave him a look as he grabbed me and led me to where everyone else was standing. "Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girls a time bomb."

"What do you suggest?" Rick asked.

"Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here. Hell I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance." Daryl said.

"No for god's sakes, I agree with Anna, just let her be." Lori said as she joined the conversation.

"She'll deal with it on her own. If not we shoot them both when she gets bit." I said. Everyone looked at me. "What?" Rick and Shane exchanged a glance. Daryl scoffed and walked away. Shane looked up at me and just stared. As I was about to walk somewhere anywhere, Jacqui spoke up.

"A walker bit Jim." She said walking away from the guy who was tied to a tree yesterday. Daryl came back into view.

"Show it to us." Daryl said.

"I'm ok." Jim said. Within seconds everyone was standing over by Jim as he held up a shovel. Everyone was yelling at him or each other. I stood in the back ground shaking my head. This group had issues. T-dog snuck up behind Jim and grabbed his arms. Daryl lifted up his shirt. I could faintly see a bite mark on his side. Once again everyone gathered in a circle to talk about what they should do with Jim. I scoffed at the people and went back to the part of camp.

_You did fine on your own before. You can do just fine now. What about the kids though? Think about the children Anna. What about them? It was the end of the world; they are with their parents who love them. _

I found myself walking down to the quarry with two pots in my hands and a back pack full of canisters. I got to the water and filled the pots with water as well as a couple canisters. I made my way back to the camp and put the pots on the fire and waited for them to boil. I began to go around the camp and gather my arrows.

I walked past Daryl standing watch Carol put her body into the motions of the pick ax to her husband's head and mutilated body an unnecessary amount of times. I pulled an arrow out of a walker and continued on my journey. I walked past Andrea as she was talking to her dead sister. As I pulled another arrow out of a body a gun went off. I could only assume it was Andrea putting a bullet in her sister's head.


	10. We're Leaving

**I'm not even going to say how sorry I am about not updating lately because you all know how bad I feel. Anyway… What did you guys think of the season three ending? Interesting if I must say so, yeah I know that was a while ago. That's how long it's been. I am almost done writing the story so I will update a hell of a lot more. I want to thank everyone who has stood by me and continued to review and who have favorited, alerted and all that other stuff. It keeps me going. : ) Please continue to do so and I will update more often… and that's a promise since I'm almost done… well with this season anyway. **

I had made it back to the Dixon area without anyone saying anything to me or even looking at me for that matter. I looked back everyone was gone; I could faintly see everyone on top of the hill. Burying the bodies I could only assume. I gathered all of my items up and attached them to my body much like I had done only a few days ago. With one last look at the camp seeing everyone descending back, I walked down a dirt road and walked away from the first people I had seen in weeks.

About a mile down the road I began regretting my decision. The temperature was rising and becoming unbearable. I started to remember why I was so happy to see people.

_You made the right decision. You needed to leave, you felt out of place and well frankly Shane is a little off. And Daryl, well he's nice to look at… but well is right now the time to be thinking of anything other than survival?_

My thoughts were interrupted by the roar of a motorcycle.

"What in the preverbal hell?" I whispered as I spun around. Daryl was riding towards me on a motorcycle.

"Are you CRAZY?" I yelled over the engine.

"Are you?" he said as he cut it off. "Goin' out alone?"

"I survived this long. Figured it wouldn't be that hard again."

"Are ya serious?"

"Generally." I answered he looked around for a second. I knew I had upset him enough for him to come after me. "Look, Daryl, I just don't belong there."

"You think I do?" Daryl said.

"Well- I"

"I don't Anna, it's easier to survive with others than on your own. You know these people, they were your neighbors, you belong here." He said as he looked at me. I shook my head at his words.

"Daryl you have no idea what you're talkin about. They were my neighbors, I had dinner before at the Grimes house, I taught their son, and I know Shane. Doesn't mean I want to be around them while the world goes to shit. Granted familiar faces are nice but they become ugly and unwanted after a while." I said. Daryl thought about my words, I could see it in his face he knew there was something that happened before all this went down. I braced myself for him to ask me what happened.

"They're thinkin' bout goin to the CDC, we can't stay here." I let out a breath of air, relieved that he hadn't asked any questions. I looked out into the dusty deserted path in front of me. "Don't leave me with these people by myself." The sound in his voice caused me to glance at him. He was completely serious.

_He has no one, Anna. He's been with these people for a while now but he was with his brother. He seems to respect you to a point and your abilities with weapons and survival. He's alone now, when you met him he was alone but his brother was waiting for him back at camp. He complained about these people then and he is now. He hunts for them and what do they do for him in return? Leave his brother to die. Yet he won't leave because he knows his chances for survival are greater in numbers. The group was full of so much unnecessary drama, and I knew there was more to be had._

I looked out at the abandoned world. "I'll go with you all to the CDC. After that depending on how it goes, I might leave, I might stay. You alright with that?" I responded glancing over at him. He gave one nod and stared the bike up again.

"Get on." He said.

"I've never been on a motorcycle." I admitted suddenly intimidated by the two wheeled transport.

"Just hang on." He responded as I got on behind him. I awkwardly placed my arms around his torso and held on as he took me back to camp.

As we rolled into camp everyone looked in our direction. We got off the bike and with the help of T-dog we got the bike tied into the back of Daryl's truck. Everyone was standing in a circle as we walked to the most familiar part of camp, the fire pit area. Everyone had packed up their belongings and we stood ready to go. Shane gave me a hurt disgruntled look as he saw me walk up behind Daryl. He shook his head and then cleared his throat.

"Alright, everybody listen up. Those of you with CBs, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal or anything at all you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?" Shane said.

"We're, uh- we're not going." Morales said. Everyone stood in silence staring at the family.

"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people." His wife said.

"You go on your own; you won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane said as he glanced over to me.

"We'll take the chance." Morales replied not seeming to worry. "I got to do what's best for my family."

"You sure?" Rick asked as Shane continued to glance in my direction.

"We talked about it. We're sure." Morales assured the cops. Shane looked over at Rick.

"All right." Rick said as he glanced at his partner. "Shane."

"Yeah, alright." Shane said as he knelt to the bag behind them. ".357?"

"Yeah." Rick said. I glanced to Daryl as he chewed on his nail staring at the cops. Rick and Shane walked over to Morales with a pistol and some ammo.

"The box is half full." Shane said, Daryl scoffed and became antsy as he walked around in the same spot.

"Thank you all, for everything." Morales' wife said. The women walked over and began their goodbyes to the family, most of the people were crying.

"You brought me back here Daryl. If you leave, you take me with you. Don't you dare leave me here alone." I said under my breath as he paced. Seeing the Morales family do what I tried to do only an hour ago made me realize I should have gone. Daryl and I didn't belong here, Morales' family did, and they still left. I looked up at Daryl as he stared at me, and gave me a simple nod like before.

"Let's move out." Shane said as everyone got into their destined vehicles.

"Come on." Daryl said as he lightly grabbed my arm and led me to his truck. "Figured you'd be more comfortable in here." He opened the car door and walked to the driver's side of the car. "I know you didn't sleep at all last night, like you were supposed to." I crawled into the cab of the truck and relaxed into the seat.

"Thanks." I said as he handed me a poncho from under the seat.

We began our journey to the CDC is a nice formed convoy line. Dale in the RV was first, then Rick and his family, T-dog, Daryl and I and Shane behind us.

"So." I said as I got comfy in the seat. Daryl looked over at me.

"The point of you being here is to sleep." He said.

"Oh I know. I just like to talk a bit before I fall asleep." I said glancing around the cab. "Is this your truck?"

"Since I was 15. The motorcycle is Merles." He admitted keeping his eyes on the road. I wanted to ask more about Merle. _What was he like? Was he as horrible as everyone says? Or was he misunderstood?_

"Oh." I responded, chickening out in asking. _Another time, another place._ My eyelids began to feel heavy as I slowly faded off into sleep as we traveled down the road.


	11. Jim

"_What are you doing Friday night?" Lori asked as she helped me put away the paint supplies. She was picking up Carl from school but he wanted to finish his painting. Lori and I took the time to catch up since we hadn't spoken in weeks. _

"_I don't know, probably clean my apartment, might go see how my mom is doing." I said as I placed the brown paint in the box. _

"_How is your mom? Did the surgery go well?" _

"_Yeah, her body accepted the hip and she will be able to walk in no time." _

"_That's great." She said with a smile. "How's Cody?"_

"_Nonexistent. He stopped calling after our last date. Something along the lines of I don't want to wait your 3 months to have sex rule drove him away." I said in a hushed tone so Carl wouldn't hear. _

"_That's a shame." She said. _

"_What are you getting at?" I said knowing she had something up her sleeve. _

"_Oh nothing." She said with a smile. "So Friday, if you would like come over for dinner. We're having a good old fashion barbeque." _

"_What's the catch?" I asked. _

"_Oh nothing. Come on Carl." Lori said with a smile. I looked at her curiously. "See you Friday." _

I felt the truck come to a stop. I opened my eyes to see what was going on. Daryl looked over at me.

"Go back to sleep. Shouldn't be anything important." He said as he got out of the car with his cross bow.

I closed my eyes and got comfortable again. Now that we weren't moving I began to feel how hot it was under the Georgia sun. I heard the jeep behind me start up and drive off. Confused I sat up in the truck. I looked around and saw everyone over by the RV. I took Daryl's poncho off and got out of the truck and walked over.

"What's going on?" I asked, Daryl looked over at me with a frown. I shook my head and wiped some sweat off my forehead.

"The hose busted." Lori said pointing at the still smoking front end of the RV.

"That's just great." I said moving my hand through my hair and tying it in a ponytail to give me some relief from the dreaded heat.

"Shane went to go a store down the road to see if he could find another one." Lori explained. I looked up to her and gave a nod. Rick came out of the RV with a sad look on his face.

"What is it?" Lori asked.

"Jim. He – uh- he wants us to leave him here. Says the ride is killing him, he wants to be with his family." Rick said.

"But his family is all dead." Daryl said.

"It's what he says he wants." Rick said with a shrug.

"And he's lucid?" Carol asked.

"He seems to be." Rick answered as Shane and T-dog pulled up in the Jeep. "I would say yes." Shane walked over and stood by Rick as Andrea filled him in on what was going on. T-dog and Dale walked over to the front of the RV to assess the damages.

"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood." Dale said as he walked closer to us leaving T-dog to fix the RV. "I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just going to suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer."

"We just leave him here?" Shane asked. "We take off? Man, I'm not sure I can live with that."

"But it's his choice it's his life." I said. Shane looked up at me. "We all have choices. This is Jim's last choice, his last wish, and I think we should grant it."

"She's right. It's not your call, either one of you." Lori said as she walked closer to my side.

"Alright." Rick said as he nodded and looked to Shane. They both disappeared into the RV. I looked up to Lori and gave her a quick smile. A couple minutes later Shane and Rick brought Jim out of the RV. He looked like he was about to die at any moment. He was ghostly pale and clammy all over. My heart broke at the sight of the man I barely knew.

"Where to?" Shane asked Jim. He nodded over into the woods off the road a bit.

"That looks nice." Jim said in short breaths. Shane and Rick all but dragged him over to the area and propped him up against the tree. Everyone walked closer to him to say their goodbyes. Daryl and I stood in the back of the crowd.

"Hey Jim – I mean you know it doesn't need to be this." I heard Shane say.

"No. It's good. The breeze feels nice." Jim said weakly.

"Okay. Alright." Shane said as he backed away. Part of me felt badly, a swelling in my chest for the cop as he showed the side and I knew the sensitive side with morals, feelings, and a conscience. The other part of me admired Jim, knowing asking the others to kill him would be too much, and the fear he must be feeling knowing in a little while he would turn into one of those things. I felt a small tear fall down my face at the exchange and walked off to the truck. Once I got to the truck I turned around and saw Daryl standing in front of Jim. Neither one of their mouths were moving, but a simple nod between the two and Daryl walked off. Shane passed me as he walked to his Jeep.

"You doing alright there?" he asked. I nodded as I wiped the remaining tears from my face.

"Takes a lot of courage to do what he did." I said with a forced smile.

"Yeah, it sure does." He said as he fisted the hat he had in his hands. I couldn't help the tears that continued to fall; Shane awkwardly stood there and pulled me into a hug. I gave up and embraced it, crying into his shoulder. Dale started up the RV which in turn pulled me out of my reverie of Shane. I shook him off as he asked me if I was ok. I nodded as Daryl walked up to his truck not looking too pleased. Shane walked off to his Jeep as we all got into our cars and were once again on the road. Silence filled the truck as Daryl and I cruised down the road.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" I asked.

"Nope." He simply responded.

"What's wrong?" I asked knowing that my hug with Shane had more of an effect on him then both of us realized at that moment. He shook his head as silence greeted us again.

"What did you mean when you said you know Shane?" he blurted out a couple minutes later. I looked over at him confused.

"What?"

"Earlier when you said you taught Carl, ate with the Grimes, you said you knew Shane." He said. "Explain."

"I don't see how that's any of your business." I replied looking at the scenery off the side of the road.

"Bullshit."

"Well, tell me about your brother. We're not going anywhere and if you want me to talk you should tell me more bout yourself too." I stated as Daryl scoffed and actually smirked.

"Merle was right, can't talk to women." He shook his head.

"Excuse me?" I asked catching the remark.

"Look, Merle was my brotha. He raised me since I was 12, and we basically have been surviving ever since. That's it." Daryl said obviously uncomfortable revealing information.

"Fine." I said putting my feet on the dashboard. "If you're going to be that blunt about it, I will too. Lori set Shane and I up a couple months back. We dated for a while, things got serious then he stood me up and left. Don't know why but I have my suspicions. Honestly I haven't talked to anyone but Carl since that happened. I gave my condolences to Lori when Rick got into his accident, but that it. This wasn't a glorious reunion as everyone seems to think." I stated as we once again drove in silence down the road.


	12. CDC

We pulled up to the CDC right before dusk.

"Looks like a shithole." Daryl said as he grabbed his crossbow.

"I think that how the whole world looks." I said as I grabbed my machete.

"No bow?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Wanna give my arms a rest, as well as my eyes."

"That's why crossbows are better." He said as he excited the truck. I followed behind with a smirk. It seemed like everything between us had been squared away, whatever it was anyway. Daryl and I slowed down as the crowd began to walk forward. There were dead bodies everywhere, the stench was unbearable and there were so many flies feeding on the dead flesh. Everyone began coughing and gagging as we walked closer to the building.

"All right, everybody. Keep moving. Go on. Stay quiet. Let's go." Shane said as he urged everyone along.

"Everyone stick together. Keep moving. Come on." Rick said as we walked through the piles of dead bodies. Everyone was trying not to throw up.

"Shh." Shane said as people in the crowd began to talk. We walked up to the door as Rick and Shane tried to open it.

"There's nobody here." T-dog said.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick said being ever hopeful. I looked around the bodies around us and the setting sun.

"Walkers!" Daryl yelled as a walker in a military uniform limped towards us.

"Shit." I muttered as I readied my machete, knowing I had my guns on my hip in case of an emergency. Daryl walked closer to the walker and shot an arrow through its head.

"You led us into a grave yard!" Daryl said as he charged Rick.

"He made a call." Dale said.

"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl yelled back still charging towards Rick.

"Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up. Shut up!" Shane said as he intervened Rick and hit Daryl's chest to make him back off. "Rick this is a dead end." With wide shocked eyes at the hostility of Shane I walked over to Daryl. _He has never been this much on edge or violent. He's losing his self-control. Granted Daryl seemed like the kind of guy that was borderline hot head most of the time, but he had just lost his brother not that long ago. Hostility is there in a time of loss. But Shane… he's a damned cop for a reason, he's able to keep his cool in situations like that…. Right?_

"Where are we gonna go?" Carol asked.

"Do you hear me? No blame." Shane said as he walked over to Rick.

"She's right we can't be this close to the city after dark." Lori said.

"You alright?" I asked Daryl, he looked down to me with a disgusted face. "If we're going to leave we should do it soon." I whispered to him, he looked at me considering my offer and looked around to the others.

"Fort Benning, Rick. It's still an option." Shane said.

"On what? No food, no fuel. That's 100 miles." Andrea said. I glanced to my side as everyone argued and saw more walkers. I tapped Daryl's shoulder as we readied our weapons. The crowd behind us began to move back towards the cars. Everyone panicking was beginning to unnerve most of them.

"Wait the camera it moved." Rick said.

"You imagined it." Shane said.

"It moved." He insisted. I could hear Shane and Rick argue as Daryl, T-dog and I stood at the edges of our group as protection.

"Rick there's nobody here!" Lori yelled as Rick slammed the wall.

"I know you're in there. I know you can hear me." He yelled.

"We need to get back to the cars now!" Shane screamed at everyone over his friend. Lori ran over to Rick to convince him what his friend had not as we slowly made our way to the cars. Daryl glanced over at me as we walked unsure of what to think or say. _Should we leave now and save ourselves? Or stay and protect the group? This wasn't like it was when we thought about leaving at the campsite. People were in immediate danger, children who couldn't fight for themselves._

"You're killing us! You're killing us!" Rick said as Shane dragged him away. We all turned to walk as the doors open letting out a white light. We all stopped and turned, dumbfounded that there was someone there all along.

"Daryl, Anna, T-dog, cover the back." Shane said as Rick walked into the building along with Shane. Everyone was in the building Daryl, T-dog and I walked in still on guard of the threats behind us.

"Close those doors. Watch for walkers." Dale said once we were all in the building. We stood in the lobby part of the CDC, a high government facility completely quiet and deserted. It was eerie to say the least.

"Hello?" Rick yelled as a gun cocked to the side of us. Everyone with weapons aimed at the threatening sound, a man stood with a gun in his hands pointed at us.

"Anybody infected?" he asked.

"One of our group was, he didn't make it." Rick answered back.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" the man asked walking closer.

"A chance." Rick said.

"That's asking an awful lot these days." The man said.

"I know." Rick said.

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission." The man said as he came closer to us.

"We can do that." Rick said as the man lowered his gun.

"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now." The man said. "Once this door closes it stays closed."

"Do you need anything from the truck?" Daryl asked as I shook my head.

"If you can, get my bag, if not no big deal." I said as an afterthought. Rick, Shane Glen and Daryl ran out the doors to the cars. Within minutes they were running back into the building. Daryl ran up to me and gave me my bag.

"Thanks." I said not really expecting him to get it for me.

"VI, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here." The man said into a lock mechanism.

"Rick Grimes." Rick introduced himself.

"Dr. Edwin Jenner. This way." He said as he led us to an elevator. We all packed in uncomfortably into the small compartment.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl skeptically asked from behind me.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look harmless enough." Jenner turned and said and looked at Carl. "Except you. I'll have to keep an eye on you." The elevator stopped and we all got off following Jenner down a hallway.

"Don't trust the doctor?" I asked Daryl as we lagged behind everyone else.

"Something's off." He said.

"I'm just glad to be safe at least for the night." I said as we continued on.

"Are we underground?" Carol asked.

"You claustrophobic?" Jenner asked.

"A little." Carol answered.

"Try not to think about it." Jenner said as the hall we were in ended and we entered a large computer room. "VI, bring up the lights in the big room." Within seconds of his command there was light. "Welcome to zone 5."

"Where is everybody? The doctors, the staff?" Rick asked as we entered the room.

"I'm it." Jenner said. "It's just me here."

"What about the person you were speaking with? VI?" Lori asked.

"VI, say hello to our guests." Jenner said. "Tell them welcome."

"Hello, guests. Welcome." A computerized voice said over the intercom system.

"I'm all that's left. I'm sorry." Jenner said.


	13. Admission

**I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed! I love to see familiar people and of course new people! Please keep it up! This one goes out to you night owls! Enjoy!**

We walked around the room and went to a small corner that looked similar to a classroom. Everyone lined up to get their blood taken from the doctor.

"What's the point? If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever." Andrea said as she got her blood drawn.

"I've already broken every rule in the handbook by letting you in here. Let me at least be thorough. All done." Jenner said as Andrea got up and almost lost her balance. Jacqui grabbed her until she was steady.

"Is she alright?" Jenner asked.

"She hasn't eaten in days. None of us have." Jacqui said as she led her to a chair.

"Next." Jenner said as Jacqui went then T-dog, then Daryl. "Next." He said again as I walked up and sat in the chair.

"Hi there." He said.

"Hi." I squeaked out.

"Not a fan of needles?" he asked as he wrapped the tourniquet around my arm.

"Not a fan of getting my blood drawn. Got no problem with needles." I said as I looked to him then the opposite side of the room.

"It'll be over in a second." He said as he pierced the skin with the needle.

"Done. See that wasn't so bad." He said as I went to stand up realizing not eating for a couple of days was probably not the smartest move on any of our parts. I stumbled over to a chair as Rick and then Shane got their blood drawn last.

"Now what?" Shane asked as he held his arm to stop the bleeding.

"I run some tests. In the meantime if you would please go back the way we came I believe I have a surprise for you all." Jenner said as he grabbed all the supplies he had and led us out of the room and into another.

"That table." He said pointing to a table as he ordered VI to turn the lights on in the room. "In these two closets we have food storage. Please feel free to help yourself." He said as he opened two rooms revealing food, when our eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room that was becoming brighter, we realized we were standing in a break room. Everyone stood shocked seeing all of the food in front of us. Everyone began to laugh as they charged the two closets, I walked into one closet the contents instantly catching my eye.

"Hey Dr. Jenner?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"How about these?" I said coming out of the closet with bottles of wine in my hands as he smiled.

"Help yourselves." He said as everyone whooped and cheered. I began handing out wine bottles to everyone who reached for one, which seemed to be damn near everyone. I grabbed two more bottles and made my way out of the room. I walked over to Daryl who was leaning against a counter.

"Here you go." I said as I handed him one of the bottles and an opener.

"Whoo, this is some fancy shit." He said looking at the label.

"The finest wine for government workers. Let's see how this shit tastes. "I said as I uncorked my bottle and took a swig. I watched as Daryl did the same thing.

"Damn, I wish this was whiskey." He said looking at the bottle in hope.

"Me too but hell its alcohol right?" I said as he looked at me.

"You know you're one hellva teacher." I looked at him confused. "Hunter, survivalist, drinker." I took another large swig of the red wine.

"What can I say? There are many sides to everyone." I said with a smile to Daryl suddenly feeling the effects of the alcohol. Having not eaten anything in days everyone was going to be three sheets to the wind soon unless we started eating some food.

Everyone sat around the table, if there wasn't a seat you were sitting on the counter. Dale had found some fixings for a feast as he stood at the head of the table pouring wine for everyone in glasses. Daryl and I stood by the counter enjoying our bottles of wine.

"You know in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner." Dale said as he handed a glass to Lori. "And in France."

"Well when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then." Lori said.

"What's it gonna hurt? Come on." Rick said.

"Look at that a cop pressuring an under aged child to have a drink." I said with a smile. Everyone looked at Rick with amusement. Everyone laughed, obviously buzzed as Lori threw her hands in the air. Dale poured him a little bit in a cup and gave it to him. Carl sipped a bit then put it on the table and had a look of disgust on his face as he said ew. Lori smiled in triumph and said that's my boy as everyone laughed at the kid.

"Well just stick to soda pop there, bud." Shane said bringing some unknown tension back to the table. Daryl got up and walked over to get some more food.

"Not you Glen." Daryl said.

"What?" Glen asked smiling his head off.

"Keep drinking, little man. I want to see how red your face can get." Daryl said as he scrunched his face. Once again everyone began to laugh again. This was when reality hit me. _I could never leave these people. I know some of them but not all of them. I looked at everyone's faces laughing and enjoying life. These people were family, and one day they would be my family. As messed up as that looks now as well as feels, it's true. I have no idea what is going to happen. But Rick, Glen, Dale, T-dog, Daryl and unfortunately Shane seem like genuine guys who will do anything to protect this family. Not saying a woman can't but they have the muscle and the fire power. Jenner called us harmless in the elevator; well I think we are as deadly as any virus. We survived this plague, we survived the chaos from it, the government trying to cover it up, the walkers that took over and control. We survived it. We are the toughest sons a bitches out there._ I looked over at Daryl. _He's right you know. Staying with this group will keep us alive a lot longer than without. We're some of the only humans around, if not in this county, city, state, country, world maybe. Why not stick together. _

Rick clinked a fork to a glass and stood up.

"It seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly." Rick said.

"He is more than just our host." T-dog said as he raised his glass.

"Hear, hear!" everyone said.

"Here's to you, doc. Booyah!" Daryl said noticeably relaxed if not drunk.

"Booyah!" everyone repeated laughing.

"So when you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, doc?" Shane said killing the mood. Sitting behind him all I wanted was to kick him or smack him. "All the- the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened, where are they?"

"Shane." I said to him, shaking my head knowing he wouldn't turn around, or care.

"We're celebrating, Shane." Rick said looking over at me. "Don't need to do this now."

"Whoa, wait a second. This is why we're here right? This was your move- supposed to find all the answers. Instead we uh-we found him. Found one man. Why?" I got up and moved behind Shane and grabbed his glass of wine.

"I think that's enough for you." I said as I gulped it down. He gave me a look as if to say the alcohol wasn't affecting him, it was the situation. I shook my head at him and stood between the counter and the table.

"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left, went off to be with their families." Jenner said, choosing this time to answer Shane. "And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted."

"Every last one?" Shane asked.

"No, many couldn't face walking out the door." Jenner said. "They… opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time."

"You didn't leave." Andrea said. "Why?"

"I just kept working, hoping to do some good." Jenner said simply.

"Dude, you are such a buzzkill, man." Glen said to Shane. Everyone ate the rest of the meal in silence.


	14. Showers

**This is a short chapter that I wanted to upload today. I want to again thank everyone you all know who you are. I also wanted to take this time and tell you that I am going to keep The Walking Dead series as one story rather than splitting up the seasons, since they are so short. **

**I promise that the explanation of Shane is coming up… just not this season… maybe… With that being said you get a little something from this chapter that you've been waiting for…. **

**Also you'll see something at the end of this season I'll explain it later on in the second season.. You'll see what it is and just so you know it's not a drastic jump kind of a thing. Just and FYI… I'll stop now… Please review and as always enjoy!**

"Most of the facility is powered down including housing, so you'll have to make do here." Jenner said as he led the way once again. Once we finished the awkward dinner we all haphazardly cleaned up and asked Jenner where we could spend the night. "The couches are comfortable but there are cots in storage if you like. There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy. Just don't plug in the video games okay? Or anything that draws power. The same applies if you shower go easy on the hot water."

Glen turned around to the rest of us.

"Hot water?" He said with a huge smile on his face.

"That's what the man said." T-dog answered with an equal smile. Everyone in the hall once again was laughing and smiling at the news. Everyone made their way to the bathrooms. There were showers blanketing the walls. It was a glorious sight. Lori and Rick decided to take a shower first as they walked in and left Carl in the Rec room. I found a room that had a nice cot in it already set up and chose that as mine for the night. I sat on the cot with my bottle of wine and took a large gulp letting it relax my body even further.

_Knock Knock._

"Who is it?" I asked. _Anyone but Shane anyone but Shane._

"It's Daryl." He said.

"Come in." I said as I moved over on the cot.

"You gonna take a shower?" he asked.

"Yeah after Rick and Lori, kind figured they needed some along time. You?"

"Yeah I guess. Can't hurt right?" he said as he awkwardly sat on the cot next to me drinking his bottle of wine.

"Yeah." I said as we sat in silence.

"Would you have left em?" he suddenly asked minutes later.

"What do you mean?"

"When Jenner wouldn't open the door, would you have left em?" I stared at the ground and I played with the half empty bottle in my hands.

"Honestly? No. I couldn't do it. Especially not now. The way we were at dinner tonight, it was like watching an awkward family enjoy time together you know? It was nice."

"Yeah." Daryl muttered taking a swig of his wine.

"Where you staying?" I asked.

"Don't know yet. Everyone claimed a room already. None left."

"Well this one is pretty big if you want to share. I don't bite." He nodded. I stood up to get some cleaner clothes out of my bag as Daryl stood up at the same time.

"Sorry." I said trying to get out of his way. The way he looked at me made my stomach flutter, he had an awkward, lustful look in his eyes. _Now think about this clearly. Last time you did this it didn't turn out to well._ I thought as we moved closer together. _What the hell is happening? What is going on?_ It happened in a matter of what felt like seconds. Daryl's lips crashed into mine in an awkward frenzy. His rough beard rubbed against my face as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. _What the hell is going on? You barely know this guy, and what you do know of him is he isn't sociable and doesn't play well with others. But this is playing well. He has saved your life more than once and you have saved his. Plus who cares? At this point there isn't much to go around if the man wants to kiss you let him kiss you._

"Hey, Anna. I wanted to-"Shane said as he walked into the room interrupting Daryl and I. I looked over to Shane as the look of complete pain was written all over his face. I looked up to Daryl, complete confusion and embarrassment on his. I shook my head at the two and walked off towards the showers.

I stood underneath the running water wanting to scream.

_What the hell just happened? Why did Shane look so hurt? Why did Daryl look so embarrassed? What the hell was I doing?_

I scrubbed the dirt and sweat off of my body enjoying the warmth of the water. I washed my hair and knew it was going to be bouncy and full of life after this… annoyingly so. Once I was done I dried off and got dressed and headed back to my room.

_Oh shit_. I thought as I suddenly remembered. _Daryl asked to share your room with him. Hopefully he'll be taking a shower when I get in there. Really don't want to deal with that can of worms at the moment._

I crept into my room, releasing a breath realizing there was no one in there. I lay on my cot with my bottle of wine. On the table next to me there was a book. _Jurassic Park _by Michael Crichton. I smiled not having read this book in so long I began to read it and soon fell asleep as the wine took over my system.


	15. I'm Going Out a Happy Woman

**Thanks everyone for the reviews! This was the chapter I was talking about in the other chapter. Just saying… Enjoy and continue to review. **

I woke up with the familiar throbbing in my head. I felt around for the bottle of wine sure enough it was empty.

"Great." I muttered as I went to get up something stopped me. An arm around my waist was holding me there. I looked behind me and saw Daryl curled up next to me holding onto me for what felt like dear life. I looked at him confused for a moment. _Most people when they slept they slept in their pajamas, or shirtless, or no pants. But here was Daryl fully clothed. His shirt was still damp; he had washed his clothes while he took a shower but then left them on? Why not sleep without the shirt on?_ I wiggled out of his grasp and stood watching his sleeping form for a moment. He looked fragile and as if he were in pain or afraid. I frowned for a moment and then left him to catch up on his sleep. I walked into the bathrooms and freshened myself up. I looked in the mirror as everything from yesterday came back at me.

"What the hell am I gonna do?" I asked myself as I left the bathroom and walked into the cafeteria.

"Oooh are those aspirin? Give me some." I said as I walked over to Rick who was holding a bottle of aspirin. I had obviously interrupted something as I walked in. Daryl walked in right behind me making eye contact with me once before he sat down and stared to eat some bacon.

"Finish eating and I'll show you what I know." Jenner said as he drank his coffee. I looked to everyone at the table not able to eat anymore based off of their conversation or their hangovers, we all followed Jenner into the big room.

"Give me playback of TS-19." Jenner said as he typed things into the computer.

"Playback of TS-19." VI said as everyone in the group gathered around and made room on the platform.

"Few people ever got a chance to see this. Very few." Jenner said as things began to pop up on the screen. The outline of a head and torso could be seen at first then more details began to pop up until a very clear object was apparent.

"Is that a brain?" Carl asked as the brain appeared on the screen.

"An extraordinary one." Jenner said as Daryl walked up and stood next to me. "Not that it matters in the end." I looked up at him with a small smile as he nodded. "Take us in for EIV."

"Enhanced internal view." VI said, as the image moved to view the inside of the brain.

"What are those lights?" Shane asked.

"Life." I said simply staring at the beauty of the brain.

"Exactly. Its experiences, memories. It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you, the thing that makes you unique. And human." Jenner explained.

"You don't make sense ever?" Daryl asked as he folded his arms.

"Those are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death." Jenner said.

"Death? That's what this is, a vigil?" Rick said as he moved closer to Jenner.

"Yes. Or rather the playback of the vigil." Jenner said.

"This person died? Who?" Andrea said as she walked closer to the screen.

"Test Subject 19." Jenner announced. "Someone who was bitten and infected and volunteered to have us record the process. VI, scan forward to the first event."

"Scanning to first event." VI said as the computer fast forward the light show in front of us. You could see the persons head along with part of the neck and shoulders. The brain part was still glowing but in the middle it was dark.

"What is that?" Glen asked as he stared at the screen.

"It invades the brain like meningitis." Jenner said as the once human on the screen began to move in shock. "The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shut down, then the major organs. Then death." The brain went completely dark and the person had stopped moving. "Everything you ever were or ever will be gone."

"So it's like Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease? The disease attacking the brain stem which in turn attacks and eventually attacks, destroys the brain." I asked. Everyone stared at me confused.

"I'm impressed. In a way it is, but not entirely." Jenner said giving me and impressed smirk.

"How the hell did you know that?" Daryl whispered in my ear.

"Biology Major." I said.

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked.

"Yes." Carol said not knowing what to say.

"She lost somebody two days ago." Lori said as she noticed Andrea crying and Jenner looking over at her. "Her sister."

"I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is." He said as he walked closer to her.

"So, what bring them back to life?" I asked as we stood there awkwardly.

"Scan to the second event." Jenner said.

"Scanning to the second event." VI repeated.

"The resurrection times vary wildly. We had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours. In case of this patient it was two hours, one minute, seven seconds." Jenner said. _He seems attached to the patient. Knowing the exact time of how long it took for the patient to resurrect. Or he's nuts._ The image on the screen showed the perfectly still human. Suddenly like embers of a dying fire, light sparked in the middle of the brain.

"Oh my god." I said as I watched it all happen.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori said with the same shock in her voice.

"No, just the brain stem." Jenner explained. "Basically, it gets them up and moving."

"But they're not alive?" Rick asked.

"You tell me." Jenner said.

"It's nothing like before." Rick stated. "Most of that brain is dark."

"Dark, lifeless, dead." Jenner said. "The frontal lobe the neocortex, the human part—that doesn't come back. The you part. Just a shell, driven by mindless instinct." We watched the shell of a human (as he put it) on the screen, when suddenly something flashed through the head of the shell leaving a nice burrow behind it.

"God, what was that?" Carol asked.

"He shot his patient in his head." Andrea said. "Didn't you?"

"VI, power down the main screen and the work stations." Jenner said as he walked away from where he had been.

"Powering down main screen and workstations." VI said.

"You have no idea what it is do you?" Andrea said as she followed him.

"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic or fungal." Jenner said.

"Or the wrath of God?" Jacqui said.

"There is that." Jenner said.

"Somebody must know something. Somebody somewhere." Andrea pushed.

"There are others, right? Other facilities?" Carol asked.

"There may be some. People like me." Jenner said.

"But you don't know? How can you not know?" Rick asked as everyone began to gang up on the scientist.

"Everything went down. Communications, directives- all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month." Jenner said.

"So it's not just here? There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing? That's what you're really saying right?" Andrea said.

"It's stupid to think this would only be happening in Georgia. People fly all the time. Someone could have carried it over seas and visa versa." I said.

"Man, I'm gonna get shit-faced drunk again." Daryl said as he began to walk to the other side of the room.

"Not without me you're not." I said as I began to follow him.

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but… that clock—it's counting down. What happens when it gets to zero?" Dale asked. The blood ran from my face as I remembered my university studies. We had come to the CDC once to check things out and hear how it's ran. _When the clock runs out, we're gone. But how? Dammit Anna remember! This is highly important. Granted that was years ago… so many years ago when we went on that trip. _

"The basement generators—they run out of fuel." Jenner said.

"Wait you said everything went down. Doesn't that mean-" I asked as I tried to say it aloud. I couldn't as Jenner looked at me knowing I knew his secret, at least part of it. He gave one nod. "Jesus Christ Bananas."

"What happens?" Rick asked Jenner as he looked over to me. "Anna, what happens?" I shook my head unable to speak as I started to hyperventilate and panic. Dale walked over to me in an attempt to calm me down. "VI, what happens when the power runs out?"

"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur." The computer said as I let out a gasp of air and tried to get more at the same time.

"Anna? Anna, are you alright?" Dale asked as I looked around. Jenner was gone.

"That fucking bastard." I muttered shocking Dale with my language. Rick walked over to us.

"Anna, what happens?" he asked.

"We need to leave. I don't remember exactly what happens but we need to get the hell out of dodge." I said.

"Jenner said he can't open the doors." Shane said as I shook my head as I stood up.

"Go figure it out." I said as I grabbed Daryl and walked off towards the kitchen.

"What are you doin' Anna?" Daryl asked as I let him go and went to the closet grabbing another two bottles of wine.

"You wanted to get shit faced drunk. I want to go out of this world a happy woman. You're gonna help with that." I said as I once again shoved a bottle in his hands and dragged him out the door, down the hall to the room we were in. I uncorked my wine and began guzzling it down as I shut the door.

"Now you know, are you in?" I asked handing him the open bottle. He placed the unopened bottle on the ground and chugged some of the one in his hands.

"Why the hell not?" he said as he held out his hand and brought me closer to him. We began to kiss like the night before but then it got more heated, and with no interruptions we let the thought knowing we were going to die sooner rather than later over take us.


	16. Nasty Stuff

**Only one more chapter after this one for Season 1! Thank you for all the reviews guys! Enjoy and continue to review. **

"Emergency lighting on." VI said over the intercom. I sat up in the completely dark room, Daryl right behind me. We felt around for our pants. When we found them I threw them on and walked out into the hallway.

"What the hell?" I asked taking a swig of the bottle of wine.

"Don't know they just shut off." Lori said, the hallway was still lit. Andrea, Dale, Jacqui, and Carol were all in the hall. As I fixed my blouse Jenner came out into the hall with his lab coat.

"Hey what's going on? Why is everything turned off?" Daryl asked from behind me still doing up his pants. He grabbed the bottle from me and took a gulp. Jenner took the bottle from Daryl, who followed the bottle and I after him.

"Energy use is being prioritized." Jenner said.

"Air isn't a priority? And lights?" Dale said as Jenner drank some of the booze as he walked.

"It's not up to me." Jenner said as all the lights shut off. "Zone 5 is shutting itself down."

"Hey! Hey what the hell does that mean?" Daryl asked as he looked at me knowing almost exactly what Jenner knew.

"I only know we should leave. I don't know exactly what happens." I said as Daryl shook his head and ran after Jenner.

"Hey man I'm talking to you! What do you mean it's shutting itself down? How can a building do anything?" Daryl asked.

"You'd be surprised." Jenner said.

"Rick?" Lori said as he ran out from a door along with Shane, T-dog and Glenn.

"Jenner, what's happening?" Rick said as he caught up to us.

"The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power." Jenner said. "It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule." We walked back into the big room, Jenner walked up to his platform as he continued to drink Daryl's and my booze. He offered it back to Daryl as we stood there next to him. Daryl took it from him in haste, hardly anything was left.

"It was the French." Jenner said.

"What?" Andrea asked.

"They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution." Jenner explained.

"What happened?" Jacqui asked.

"The same thing that's happening here, am I right?" I asked.

"No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?" Jenner said.

"Let me tell you—"Shane said as he charged the scientist.

"To hell with it, Shane. I don't care." Rick said, stopping Shane. "Lori, grab our things. Everybody, get your stuff. We're getting out of here now!"

As we were about to run off and get our stuff and alarm with red lights sounded.

"Thirty minutes to decontamination." VI said over the intercom and displayed the numbers on the screen from before. Everyone froze in their tracks and looked back at Jenner and Rick.

"Doc, what's going on here dammit?!" Daryl yelled.

"Everybody, ya'll heard Rick. Get your stuff and let's go now!" Shane yelled as the alarm stopped. We all turned to leave and get our stuff as the door shut and locked.

"He shut us out!" someone yelled. I looked over to Shane as Daryl ran up the stairs towards Jenner.

"You son of a bitch." Daryl said as he charged the doctor.

"Shane!" Rick said seeing Daryl run towards his target.

"You locked us in here!" Daryl screamed.

"No, stop. Don't!" Rick yelled at the Dixon. Shane and T-dog pulled Daryl away from the doctor just as he was going to smash his head with the bottle.

"Hey Jenner, open that door now." Rick said as he walked over to him. I made my way to Daryl to hopefully calm him down.

"Daryl you can't kill him now. You kill him we get stuck here too." I explained. "You can hit him though. Just not right now." Jenner and Rick were talking behind me as I stared at the man in front of me. "You with me?" I asked as he nodded. Shane and T-dog let him go as we walked to where everyone was standing.

"What happens in 28 minutes?" Rick asked as Jenner moved to the computer and typed something on the key board.

"What happens in 28 minutes?" Shane asked hitting Jenner's back.

"Come on!" Daryl said.

"Do you know what this place is?!" Jenner yelled as he stood up. "We protected the public from very nasty stuff! Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out! Ever!" Jenner sat down after his blow out. A shiver went up my spine, now remembering what was going to happen. The only way you could kill any of those diseases was with fire.

"In the event of a catastrophic power failure—in a terrorist attack for example—HITs are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out." Jenner said. I felt the bile rising before my stomach started to react by clenching. I ran over to the edge of the platform and threw up. "VI, define."

"HITs—high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives," The computer said as I threw up again. "Consist of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen between 5000* and 6000* and if useful when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired. "

"It sets the air on fire." I muttered as I still hung over the edge staring at my bile on the ground below. Jenner repeated what I said as the room stood still and silent. I wiped the remaining bile off of my lips with the corner of my shirt. I looked around the room waiting for someone to snap.

"No pain. An end to sorrow, grief, regret. Everything." Jenner said.


	17. Snap, Crack, Boom

**Last chapter for Season 1! Thank you for all the reviews guys! Enjoy and continue to review. **

The first one to snap was Daryl. He walked over to the locked door in anger and threw the bottle at it causing it to shatter.

"Open the damn door!" Daryl screamed. The second to snap was Shane.

"Out of my way!" Shane yelled as he ran past Daryl with an ax and slammed it into the door. T-dog threw an ax to Daryl as he slammed the ax into the door as well. Rick, Glenn and T-dog stood there behind the two men as they hit the door again and again. Carol, Sophia, Lori and Carl huddled together on the ground with Andrea not far away. Jacqui stood and cried as everything slowly hit her, Dale watched the other men try to break our way out.

"You should've left well enough alone. It would've been so much easier." Jenner said completely calm.

"Easier for who?" Lori said.

"All of you. You know what's out there—a short brutal life and an agonizing death." Jenner said. "Your- your sister what was her name?"

"Amy." Andrea said.

"Amy." Jenner repeated. "You know what this does. You've seen it. Is that really what you want for your wife and son?" He said turning to Rick. "What you want for your life?" he said looking at me.

"You might have accepted your fate. You have no idea what it's like out there. It is hell but I rather be out there and fighting to live, saving people, having one last romp with a man, getting shitfaced, sitting around a campfire with people I consider friends and family thanking God we survived another day… then die here. I will die one day, we all will. But I'll be damned if I don't get to decide it on my own!" I screamed at Jenner who was sitting there staring at me. He didn't say anything and like everyone else, I finally snapped. I reached out and grabbed Jenner by his shirt and made him stand up. I looked up to him and decked him straight in the face. He looked shocked for a moment until I did it again and again. Rick came up behind me and pulled me away from him as I slammed my fist into his face one last time.

"I don't want this." Rick said as he walked over to Jenner. Shane walked over to where I was standing which was near where Rick and Jenner were.

"Can't make a dent." Shane said out of breath.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner said in almost a humor like tone.

"Well, your head aint!" Daryl said as he charged Jenner with the ax. Dale grabbed Daryl and Rick stopping him. T-dog came up to the side and grabbed the ax out of Daryl's hands. Daryl pissed off, walked over to me where I was cradling my hand.

"You want this. Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead." Jenner said looking right at Rick.

"What? You really said that? After all your big talk?" Shane asked.

"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" Rick said to Lori who was looking up at him completely shocked.

"There is no hope. There never was." Jenner said.

"There's always hope." Rick said.

"What's wrong with your hand?" Daryl asked looking at my hand. I looked down, it was all bloody, the skin had cracked on impact and the tender flesh was already bruising.

"Doc pissed me off." I said pointing to Jenner's bruising face, blood dripping from the side of his mouth.

"This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event." Jenner said to the conversation that we weren't having.

"I'll die when I am good and ready!" I screamed at the selfish man.

"This isn't right. You can't just keep us here." Carol sobbed.

"One tiny moment a millisecond. No pain." Jenner said.

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this." Carol sobbed again.

"None of us do!" I yelled, Shane looked over to me and then walked off.

"Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?" Jenner said as Shane appeared back to the area cocking a rifle in his hands.

"Shane, no!" Rick said intervening his partner.

"Out of the way, Rick!" Shane yelled shoving Rick aside. Shane walked up to Jenner and pointed the gun in his face. "Stay out of my way! Open that goddamn door or I'm gonna blow your head off. Do you hear me?!"

"Brother, brother, this is not the way to do this. We will never get out of here." Rick said.

"Shane, you listen to him." Lori said.

"It's too late." Shane said.

"He dies, we all die! Shane!" Rick said as Shane began to yell.

"Shane don't do it!" I screamed as he shot the gun off four times into the computers and once into the lights as Rick tried to take the gun from him. Once Rick had a good grip he elbowed Shane in the face and he went down.

"Are you done now? Are you done?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, I guess we all are." Shane said as Rick walked away giving the rifle to T-dog. Everyone stood for a moment in silence.

"I think you're lying." Rick said turning to Jenner as Shane stood up.

"What?" Jenner said.

"You're lying about no hope. If that were true you'd bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You didn't. You chose the hard path. Why?" Rick asked.

"It doesn't matter." Jenner said.

"It does matter. It always matters. You stayed when others ran. Why?" Rick said.

"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise… to her." Jenner said pointing to the screen.

"It was your wife wasn't it? The patient." I said walking over to the two, leaving Daryl as he walked back over to the door and hit it again with the ax.

"She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no? She was dying. It should've been me on that table. I wouldn't have mattered to anybody. She was a loss to the world. Hell, she ran this place. I just worked here. In our field she was an Einstein. Me? I'm just… Edwin Jenner. She could've done something about this. Not me." Jenner said.

"Your wife didn't have a choice. You do. That's—that's all we want – a choice, a chance." Rick said.

"Let us keep trying as long as we can." Lori said.

"I told you topside's locked down. I can't open those." Jenner said as he walked back over to where he was before. He hit a couple buttons and the doors opened.

"Come on!" Daryl said as he ran down the hall. I ran after him as well as everyone behind me. I met up with Daryl in the room we were in and grabbed all of our belongings. I stole the few books that were in there. We bolted out of the room and up the stairs back to the top part of the building. We ran towards the door as T-dog tried to open it.

"Get them doors open!" Glenn said as we all came into the room.

"Come on!" T-dog said as he tried to punch in codes.

"It doesn't work!" Glenn said as the doors remained locked. Daryl and Shane walked over to a window with one of the axes and tried to break the glass. They hit the glass over and over again, not even cracking it. I stood there trying to think of ways to break the glass. Nothing I had would do any good.

"Daryl look out." T-dog said as he ran to the glass with a chair.

"Dog, get down! Get down!" Shane said as he shot the rifle off at the window, nothing. "Jesus."

"Rick I have something that might help." Carol said as she walked over to him.

"Carol, I don't think a nail file is gonna to do it." Shane remarked.

"Your first morning at camp, when I washed your uniform, I found this in your pocket." She said pulling a grenade out of her purse.

"What the hell more do you have in there?" I said as I looked at the mother surprise.

"Look out!" Shane said as we all took cover behind the stairs as Rick set up the grenade.

"Oh- shi-"Rick said as he ran towards us.

"Get down. Get down." Shane said as Rick ran to us screaming oh shit as the grenade blew shattering the glass from that spot.

"Come on let's go!" Rick yelled as we ran to the open window. Walkers were in our path between the building and the cars. I used my machete chopping at the heads of the walkers as we ran. Shots were going off around me but it didn't matter, we were gone as soon as we got everyone into the vehicles.

Daryl and I sat in his truck and waited for the cars in front of us to start. None of them stared let alone moved.

"Oh my god." I said as I saw Dale and Andrea running out of the building.

"We aint leaving before that place blows." Daryl said as he watched the people in front of us. "Shit get down!" We got as close to the floor boards as possible as the sounds of an explosions could be heard. We sat up and looked at the building now engulfed in flames.

"You alright?" I asked as we stared at the building.

"Yeah. You?" he asked. I nodded as we started the car and followed the RV away from the burning government building with new hope as well as a dose of reality.


End file.
